Opportunity
by WobbleWobble
Summary: Total AU Bedith, see Ch 1 for more detail! NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Ok so this idea popped into my head and it might be a bit of a stretch but I thought I'd give it a shot. I don't want to give all the details here because I'd rather it come out in the story but basically, I changed nearly everything when it came to Edith's storyline.

Hope you all like it at least a little bit!

* * *

"There she is, my star writer!"

Edith gave an sarcastic smile and shut the door behind her

"Michael I've been working for you for years, you can stop flattering me anytime you like"

"I'm not flattering you, it's true. Lady Strallan's columns have been the most popular of our features nearly since you began." Michael replied as he watched her take a seat across from him.

"You might be reaching but I won't argue with you, now what is so important that I just had to rush down?"

"First of all would you like any thing to drink?"

"No, no I'm meeting my aunt after this, now get on with it… you're not firing me are you?" Edith spoke to him with the ease that nearly four years of professional respect and friendship created, in fact at this point Edith viewed her editor in the same way she saw Tom, not a brother by blood but a trusted friend who she could count on for support and encouragement.

"Don't be silly, I have two assignments for you. The first one is that you're going to write a profile on someone-"

"A profile? I've never done that, you know I only write opinion pieces, why me?"

"I'm trying to tell you, the subject is this new Marquess, he's from around your parts so it won't be too hard to get up there." Michael offered to a skeptical Edith

"'Get up there'? I have to go out in the field for this?"

"Well, it's a castle Edith not exactly the Somme. He, well his mother actually is inviting you up for a weekend, somewhere in Northumberland. You probably have a better idea than I do of what you'll get up to, killing things and fancy dinners I imagine." Michael added with a teasing smile

"Wait, his mother? Can you tell me why we are doing this? And more specifically why I am being asked to do this?" Edith asked a bit overwhelmed that she was being summoned by a stranger to write about him.

Michael leaned back in his chair trying to hide his amusement at Edith's flustered behavior

"His mother got in contact with me, she wanted to be courted a bit but it seems she thinks it would be a good idea if her son made a bit of a splash in the social world and she thinks this is the way to do it." Michael explained

"So I'm supposed to follow a Mummy's boy around and write about what exactly?"

"Well a flattering piece obviously, but I was thinking of focusing on how he's adjusting to his new role. Apparently his cousin passed and that's how he came into it, so try and paint him as a normal man who was just thrust into this role. Write about his day to day challenges, what he has to deal with."

"So I'm to write about what he has for breakfast?" Edith incredulously laughed

"Edith, you might not want to admit it but most of our readers are interested in what goes on in all those massive houses. It might be routine for you but a great number of people want to know what it's like."

"And why am I being forced into doing this?" Edith challenged

"First of all I'm not forcing you into anything, if you really don't want to do it I'll ask someone else but I think you can write a very special piece with this opportunity. You're the only one who can really see the nuance and get them to open up, you have all the insight in the world as well, you'll be able to see him as a person not just a title."

"You seem very confident in all this." Edith challenged again still needing to be coaxed

"I am. Edith you're the daughter of an Earl and were married to a Baronet for God's sake, you're the best person for this job, these are your people."

"My people? I don't know them Michael, they could be terrible."

"There's only one way to find out…" Michael shot back and smiled at Edith rolling her eyes

"How long does this have to be?" Edith conceded, her curiosity slowing taking over her nerves

"Just four to five pages, you should get enough for it over that weekend."

"And when will I be summoned?"

"Next month, they'll send a more formal invitation once I confirm. So you'll do it?" Michael ventured

"Yes, fine I'll try it, but I don't expect me to do this sort of thing regularly." Edith warned

"Excellent, Edith you're going to do wonderful with this, people will love it."

"We'll see, now what was this other mission you have for me? Nothing as ghastly as the first one I hope."

"I wouldn't go that far, Lizzie is desperate to have you over for dinner tomorrow so I hope your social calendar isn't filled yet." Michael stated to a relieved Edith

"It's very very open and I'd love to see her, will you be there?" Edith asked as she gathered her things

"Of course, she's crazy about me. Can't bear to have me away for any length of time." Michael cheekily replied

"Damn, can't have everything I suppose." Edith shot a teasing smile at Michael as he got up to walk her to the door

"Careful Lady Strallan or you'll hurt my feelings."

"Oh, you're fine. You know Granny is going to be livid about this?"

"Just tell her it's my idea, she liked me when we met." Michael offered.

"Michael, the thing about 'my people' is that we're very good at making people think we like them. I'll see you tomorrow."

Michael couldn't help but laugh as he watched Edith leave and shut the door behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Sybbie, George, and Marigold ran ahead of Edith and Mary as the group took a late afternoon stroll

"Marigold! Stay close to Sybbie." Edith called out as the children took off toward a pond

"You too George! Mama has told me we're all invited to Brancaster in Northumberland and you seem to be the reason behind it." Mary added.

"Yes, it's a work assignment. I thought it would just be me but it turns out they want us all up there, I'm sure it's to flatter me so I'll be complimentary."

"Who is 'they' exactly?"

"The Marquess of Hexam and his mother, but it seems to be his mother mostly." Edith explained

"What do they expect you to write about?"

"Him, what he's like, what he does as Marquess."

"And this was Gregson's idea?" Mary asked trying to find out more about Edith's odd assignment

"No, it seems this Mrs. Pelham approached him. Michael thinks she's looking for her son to be the toast of the town and has an idea that this will do it."

"She's not patient enough to wait until the season? A young titled man with a healthy estate would have to beat them away even before the war, maybe he looks like a turnip?" Mary said with a wondering smile

"Maybe he does, or maybe he has the personality of a tire stuck in the mud. Either way I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but Papa is pleased he'll get some shooting in." Edith reasoned

"Evelyn spoke about Brancaster once, he said it was very impressive." Mary added

"Maybe if Lord Hexam turns out to be dull I can write about his house instead, or maybe I'll find an interesting footman."

The sisters were interrupted by Marigold running up to them to complain that George got water on her dress by throwing rocks in the pond

"George, don't toss rocks near the girls dear." Mary admonished as they stopped to watch the children explore the shoreline

"They're lucky to have each other aren't they?" Edith commented as she watched Sybbie hand Marigold a flower

"They are, and they seem to be happy. But I'm dreading the day when they realize that most children have two parents instead of just one." Mary said as she shared a look with Edith

"They have a loving family, some people don't have that even with two parents." Edith countered

"We can give them all that, thankfully. How is your tenant at Locksley?" Mary asked as they turned toward the house

"Fine I suppose, he's just a wealthy man looking to play in the country."

"Will you ever sell it? You could get a decent price."

"No, it's not really mine to sell. I'm the caretaker but Anthony meant to leave it to Marigold, or at least I know he would want her to have it. When the time comes if she wants to sell then I'll help, but I expect to be living in London full time by then."

Edith explained as George met them to hold his mother's hand as Sybbie and Marigold walked ahead with their arms linked

"You're sure you'll want to do that? It's lovely to visit but the noise."

"I doubt Marigold will want to be a farmer, I'm happy to have her raised here with Mama, Papa, her cousins and everyone else but Downton is truly yours and I want a place of my own, but I also don't want to bang around a empty country house full of memories."

"And another husband is out of the question?" Mary asked with one of her raised eyebrows

"I know you had your Mr. Blake and Tony and Evelyn for that matter, and you've always had more suitors than me, but I think Anthony was my one chance for marriage, and we were happy but I have Marigold and my writing to focus on." Edith calmly answered

"I don't think Anthony would agree with that and I don't for that matter, but I won't push you. For what it's worth, I'm glad you and Marigold came to live with us and I won't be happy to see you both leave when that time comes." Mary admitted

Edith looked to Mary then, grateful that there was one good thing to come out of Matthew's car accident and Anthony following only a few months later, the sisters found a new bond in their grief and a better understanding of each other in their shared determination to carry on for their children.

"Thank you for that, and it won't be for a while anyway."


	3. Chapter 3

"Bertie, did you speak with the game manager?" Mrs. Pelham asked as she entered Bertie's office without knocking

"Yes mother the guns are all ready for whoever needs them and the wagons are organized. No need to worry, besides we still have time they all get here next week not tomorrow."

"I know but we can't afford to fail at this, I hope you understand that." Mrs. Pelham tried to warn as Bertie looked up from his paperwork at her

"I don't see why you're getting all worked up over this, and that newspaper business on top of it, I think it's bit of an overkill."

"Bertie, you must not want to admit it because I know you are intelligent enough to understand that you are at a disadvantage, you were never meant to inherit. Most men have known who they would be since birth and more importantly others have known it as well, all the important people in society don't know you from the milkman and we need to change that. Whether you like it or not."

Bertie let an exasperated sigh out at his mother's speech, nearly the same one he's been hearing since he learned he was to become Marquess

"I know you want me to settle and find a wife and that will happen but-"

"No, I want you to find the _right_ wife. I have no doubt you could take a walk in the village and convince some girl to marry you before you have to turn a corner but you'll need someone up to the task."

"I'm very aware of what you want, but I'm sure whoever I ask to marry me will be up to the task as you say." Bertie said with his infinite patience

"Just make it easy on yourself, with the war there are heaps of young women from good families waiting around for someone just to ask, all we need to do is generate a little interest and you'll have your pick."

"And that's what Lady Strallan supposed to do?" Bertie asked still a bit uncomfortable about someone trying to delve into his life

"Exactly. If she does her job right, but at least that Mr. Gregson is sending us someone who won't be slack jawed the moment she walks in, hopefully."

"You mean because she's the daughter of an Earl?"

"Yes, that's what I mean although the mother is American. Did you know that before you insisted on inviting the whole clan up here?" Mrs. Pelham asked annoyed at the prospect of more guests that didn't seem to be marriage material for her son

"I did, I like Americans I met a few of them during the war, I'm sure Lady Grantham will be a charming guest. And it's only four extra people, I didn't want Lady Strallan to think she would be relegated to the corner scribbling notes." Bertie tried to explain

"Well, let's hope they aren't all melancholy. Their daughter and two sons-in-law in less than a year and a half, what bad luck…hopefully they won't bring any of it with them." Mrs. Pelham tried to joke

"I hope you won't try and make any jokes at their losses while they're here." Bertie said clearly not amused at his mother's attempt at humor

"Of course not. It is strange though, first the daughter, their youngest in childbirth. Then not a year after that the son-in-law who was the heir in a car crash, then a few months later Lady Strallan's husband went in his sleep, a stroke if I remember right. But he was a bit older than her so she couldn't have been surprised." Mrs. Pelham said as Bertie tried to ignore her

"I hope you'll be kinder to our guests when they're actually here." Bertie said under his breath

"And do you know what I heard?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me either way." Bertie countered becoming frustrated at his mother's continued gossip

"She was in London when he passed, doing God knows what. That's why you need to find a young woman who will be committed to you, not running off to London to live some fantasy. So I hope you're taking this seriously, you'll need to put your best foot forward." Mrs. Pelham managed to bring it back to Bertie finding a wife as he got up from his chair and walked around his desk

"Mother, I think the best way to attract a good wife is the promise of a kind mother-in-law so I hope you can amend your behavior to further my cause..." Bertie said to his mother who was a bit shocked at what he just said "…I'm going for a walk, I'll see you at dinner." 

* * *

AN: I just wanted to clear things up a bit, I got the impression some people were a bit confused with what was going on in the story, I hope this chapter gave you all some idea but just in case

Everything with Mary, Sybil, Matthew, and Tom is canon but with Edith she married Anthony as planned in series 3, we all know Edith is _fertile_ so her and Anthony got pregnant a few months after their wedding so the other major change is that Marigold is like a year or so older than George, and I didn't change her name because I just didn't think it was necessary. And like it said 3 months or so after Matthew's car crash Anthony kicked it and soon after Edith moved back to Downton

Otherwise Michael's wife is healthy and well and they are happily married and both have a good friendship with Edith, and I made Edith and Mary have a better relationship because I've always wanted them to, and I think it would make sense with both of them going through similar situations and finding support and strength in each other. And everything with Bertie is pretty much canon.

That's about it, don't be afraid to message me if you have any more questions! And thank you all so so much for the positive reviews, I know this was a bit of a stretch and I'm really glad people have seemed to have taken to it!


	4. Chapter 4

The Crawley family made their way up the drive and stopped in front of Brancaster's large doorway, Lord Hexam and his mother were patiently waiting for their guests and looked pleased to see them finally arriving.

Edith was the first one out of the car and made her way up the steps  
"Lord Hexam, thank you for having us. I'm Lady Strallan, I'll be the one writing about you."

"Very pleased to have you all here, let me introduce my mother…" He responded with an easy smile that quickly tempered Edith's nerves

Edith went on to introduce her family and let her parents, Tom, and Mary follow Mrs. Pelham into the house as she was eager to have another word with Bertie

"Lady Strallan, I've never had anyone write about me before so just give me orders and I'll try my best."

"I have to admit this is my first time writing about anyone, but my editor was very confident in my abilities if that means anything." Edith offered with a smile

"I'm sure you're very capable, just let me know what you need from me. I'm at your service." He offered as his mother was speaking to the rest of the party.

"Thank you, I think if I could just have some time with you to chat that should be a good start."

"There'll be tea set out for everyone in the library after you all had a chance to freshen up, how about you join me in my study whenever you're ready so we can get most of it the way early?"

Typically Edith would be a bit wary of a man she just met asking to meet her in his private study, but as soon as she met him she had a gut feeling that he was a kind person, and was looking forward to finding out more about him

"I think that's a fine plan…" Edith confirmed "…I'll see you in a bit."

Edith caught up to Mary as the party made their way up the large staircase

"I suppose he doesn't look like a turnip, not my type but not unhandsome either." Mary whispered as they were led to their rooms

Edith suppressed a laugh and replied

"Yes, we've both seen worse and he seems nice but I've only talked to him for a moment so who knows."

"When are you due to start following him around and taking notes?"

"Right away actually, I'm going to meet him in his study and chat a bit to get started."

"Well, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Mary teased as she slipped into her room. 

* * *

Edith waited as the footman lightly knocked and opened the door to announce her, Lord Hexam rose from his desk to welcome her in

"Lady Strallan, I hope you're finding everything comfortable." He said with another welcoming smile

"Yes, of course. Everything is wonderful, and I do have to thank you for inviting my family as well, it was very kind." Edith replied as he invited her to take a seat across from him

"Not at all, we certainly have the room for it and I wanted to make sure you were comfortable, I mean that I imagine it to be somewhat strange to write about someone in this way, but I do hope that you'll try and enjoy yourself this weekend, not to say that-"

Edith could tell he was talking himself in a circle and jumped in

"I intend for this to be a rather painless experience for the both of us, don't mind me, just be yourself and it will be over before you know it."

Bertie smiled his thanks and went on to say

"I'm sure you're wondering why you had to come all the way up here and attempt to paint me in a positive light? It is a bit odd isn't it? I'm sure you're probably thinking I'm some sort of ego maniac."

Edith wasn't sure quite what to say and wanted to avoid offending him but managed to reply

"I don't, honestly in fact you seem very nice. My editor thinks of it as a chance for people to find out how people like, well, us live. That it's not all debutant balls and breakfast in bed and I agree."

"That's good to hear, but I do feel the need to say that this was all my mother's idea. I'm happy to do anything you need me to and she won't say it but she is quite determined that I become, popular." Bertie admitted shyly

"Why is that?" Edith asked without thinking and then saw the worried look on his face and tried to clarify

"Lord Hexam I promise I won't write anything uncomplimentary about you or your mother, unless you both turn out to be horrible which I don't think is likely to happen, so I hope you can feel at ease with me."

A wave of relief washed over his face as a smile spread across his face again

"Of course, I do already actually. To answer your question, just so you know what you're dealing with she's anxious that I make a splash in society."

"I see, to be fair Lord Hexam in this world I wouldn't think a young healthy man with a large estate and title would need much help in that regard."

Bertie gave her a bit of an embarrassed smile, clearly still not used to being thought of as an eligible bachelor

"Well, it seems my mother is a bit anxious and truthfully I wasn't raised to be a Marquess so it's a bit unfamiliar territory for me."

"So how did you end up becoming Lord Hexam?"

"My cousin passed away, he was rather young when he went so I was never really expected to come into anything." Bertie replied as his mood sobered a bit speaking about his cousin

"I'm very sorry to hear that, a death is hard enough but when the person has all their life ahead of them it's even more tragic." Edith managed to say with a contemplative look on her face

"Yes, of course I remember hearing what your family went through so unfortunately you know much more than I do."

"Sadly yes. Thankfully my editor Mr. Gregson managed to pull some strings to keep most of the terrible gossip about a 'cursed family' out of the papers, but people still talk. Either way our family is doing well all things considered." Edith happily finished as Bertie listened intently

"So it seems, I think people that we were close to that passed on would like to see us move on and be happy."

"I agree, and carry on their work if needed, have you found that hard to do here?" Edith asked wanting to get further insight into the role Bertie had been thrust into

"Honestly Peter was never much interested in the day to day work on the estate, not that he didn't care but his passion was somewhere else. I try to be a good landlord, to make sure all my tenants are all able to make a living and the pressure can be intense at times, but there are worse problems in the world."

"Do you ever wish that you weren't the one to inherit?"

Bertie became thoughtful then and Edith was becoming more interested in him as a person and how he was handling the transition to one of the most powerful men in the county

"I might have preferred to just stay the land agent, find a normal girl to settle down with and have a family but it really isn't my choice. This is the hand that was dealt to me and I'm trying to do my best."

Edith was impressed by his candor and willingness to get on with the job and gave him an approving smile

"I think with that attitude you'll do very well, now I've badgered you enough should we join the others?"

"It didn't feel like badgering but that might be a good idea, I'd hate for your family to think I'm inattentive." Bertie said as he rose from his seat and waited for Edith to gather her things

"You're doing very well so far, if it counts for anything."

"Thank you, it does. Tomorrow we have a shoot planned with our other guests and I thought you could partner me? So we could work on the article more."

"That would be wonderful, I'm looking forward to it." Edith said as Bertie opened the door for her and lead her toward the library 

* * *

AN; Thanks for the reviews, I love them! Glad to see people are enjoying my little scribbles :)


	5. Chapter 5

"So you'll be with Lord Hexam then?"

"Yes, and did I see you being approached by Mr. Talbot?" Edith answered as the two made their way to the wagons outside of Brancaster

Mary gave her a sly look and replied

"I was, he's certainly not bad to look at and he seems fairly interesting, there are worse people to be paired with."

"I feel sorry for Mama, Papa's been so grumpy lately." Edith whispered to make sure her parents wouldn't hear

"I'm sure a round of shooting will clear that up, so how is he? He's been busy playing host I haven't been able to pin him down for any length of time." Mary asked interested in what her sister had to say after her private meeting with him and claiming most of his attention while at dinner

"He's perfectly nice, he wants to do right by everyone here and I think he works very hard. He's bit more funny than he lets on, you'd like him if you ever got the chance." Edith confidently said as Mary gave her an amused look

"You seemed very charmed, going by the impression he's made on you I doubt he'd have any problem finding a wife."

"I am impressed, he's been thrust into this role and he's adapting quite well. I can't say many people myself included would be able to do the same thing."

"You're managing Locksley quite well." Mary reminded her

"That's different, Brancaster is at least three times the size and Anthony organized so well anyone could figure out how to manage it. It seems Lord Hexam has been on his own for a while."

"Well I hope he continues to be impressive for your entertainment at least." 

* * *

"Lady Edith, we're just over this way." Bertie greeted with a smile as he helped Edith get out of the wagon

"Do you host shooting often here Lord Hexam?" Edith asked as the two walked to their stand

"Please, call me Bertie. At least while we're out here, I enjoy feeling a bit more normal when I have the chance. And yes we do, it's fairly good out here so we're lucky."

"If I can call you Bertie, then I have to insist that you call me Edith, it's only fair." Edith said as Bertie was looking at her over his shoulder

"Alright then, Edith. Did you sleep well last night? The old place can get a bit drafty at times."

"I did, thank you. Did you spend much time here growing up? That's the impression I got yesterday." Edith asked hoping to get a question in before the actual shooting began

"You're a natural journalist, I did actually. My father and Peter's were quite close and I grew up nearby so it was just natural really. Then Peter and I became good friends and I found myself visiting often on my own. I'm an only child and so was Peter so we became like brothers to each other."

"I didn't realize that, how even more terrible your loss was." Edith said as Bertie smiled in thanks

"Are you very close with your sister?" Bertie asked and Edith couldn't help but laugh

"It's a bit complicated, growing up we were awful to each other. But after we both were married there was a bit of a truce. Then our younger sister died we both wanted to be better to each other for her sake, after our husbands passed away we suddenly found that our lives were very similar and I think we realized what we needed each other."

"It's unthinkable that a family could go through so much loss in such a short time." Bertie sincerely said as Edith had a stoic look on her face

"It was shocking, unnerving almost. I think for a while we all held our breath when someone else left the house for something or were slow coming down to breakfast. But we have the children to focus on, if we didn't have them I don't know how we would have coped."

"You have a daughter correct? And Lady Mary has a son?" Bertie asked now fully turned around to Edith

"Yes and Tom and Sybil had a daughter, they're all very close but I suppose it's no surprise they're all still in the same nursery so there really isn't a choice." Edith said with a smile thinking of her daughter, niece, and nephew all growing up together

"It must be so hard to raise a child on your own, it's quite impressive."

"I do have a tremendous amount of help. The most difficult thing is making sure your child has some idea of who their father was. I'm lucky in the fact that Anthony had a chance to know Marigold, so I do have those memories of them being together."

"I'm sure you'll all be up to the task." Bertie managed to say before the shooting had to begin

* * *

Edith and Bertie were walking to the next stand as he shyly looked at her and worked up the courage to ask her a question

"Edith, if you don't mind me asking, did you enjoy being married? What I mean is would you recommend it?"

Edith couldn't help but smile at the question and at the bashful way he asked it

"I did. Granted Anthony and I were only married for just under two years, so we never really left the honeymoon stage."

"I suppose that means you both loved each other very much."

"Yes, I think we did. Anthony was a very kind man and an attentive husband; it would have been very hard not to be happy with him. And he encouraged me in my writing, which I think most men wouldn't have done, so that made me love him even more." Edith explained as she remembered her and Anthony's short time at Locksley

"That's very commendable, how did you get into writing?"

"I saw something in the paper about giving women the vote and I just shared my thoughts on it and Michael saw it and offered me a column, Anthony encouraged me to take it and I've been there ever since." Edith answered proudly

"I hope Mr. Gregson isn't too demanding, I've heard rumors about those newspaper men in London." Bertie told her with a slight smile

"He has his quirks but he's a good friend. In fact Michael and his wife are probably my best friends in London, I'm not sure how she puts up with him but they seem happy…" Thinking about Michael and Lizzie's marriage Edith was reminded about the nervous way Bertie asked about marriage before "…I don't think I answered your question before, I would recommend marriage, with the right person obviously."

"That's the trick isn't it? Finding the right person."

"Yes but I don't think you'll have a problem with a lack of options, marriageable men are hard to come by as it is and once word gets out that a young Marquess with a large estate is available you'll have them beating down the door." Edith teased to a slightly embarrassed Bertie

"What did Austen write about a single man in a possession of a good fortune being in want of a wife?"

"I'm afraid it is a universally acknowledged truth, Bertie. Many men would like to be in your shoes I imagine."

"Maybe, but truthfully I understand marriage to be a long business so I hope to find someone I can spend my life with and enjoy it, not just a woman with the highest pedigree or biggest fortune." Bertie admitted

"I think you're a bit of a romantic, Lord Hexam."

"You're teasing me but you're right, I guess I am." Bertie replied as he shared a smile with Edith

"I'm not exactly teasing you, it's refreshing. The reality is someone in your position could have their pick from the oldest families or a woman with a great fortune but it seems you want to get married for the right reasons." Edith explained sincere in her admiration

"Thank you for that, now the challenge is to find the right one." Bertie said as he readied his gun

"I think you'll find her in the end."

* * *

AN: Thanks to Lady Strallan for pointing out that I got Edith's title wrong, sorry about that!


	6. Chapter 6

Edith walked into Brancaster's dining room for breakfast to joining her father, Bertie and a few other guests

"Good morning Lady Edith." Bertie brightly said as Edith took a seat between him and her father

"Good morning, I expect you're anxious to get us all out of your hair today."

"Not at all, I enjoy having people visit especially if they can provide good company and interesting conversation so it's been very nice having you and your family here Lady Edith."

"The shooting was extraordinary yesterday, you have quite a place here." Robert chimed in as Bertie smiled his thanks

"Well you're all more than welcome to come back, if you ever want to do some fishing we have a decent stream only a short ride away."

"Is that right? How fortunate for you, there is some shooting at Downton but it's nothing like you have here."

"Careful Papa or Ber- Lord Hexam will think we live in squalor." Edith teased her father as Bertie tried to hold in a laugh

"I doubt that very much, Lady Edith has told me a bit about it and it sounds lovely Lord Grantham."

"You'll have to come and see for yourself, it would be an honor for you to come and visit us, wouldn't it Edith?" Robert said as he smiled at Edith

"Yes, of course and the least we can do to pay back you and your mother's hospitality."

"That's very kind, I think we would both like that very much."

"It's settled then, I'll go speak to Cora…" Robert said as he finished his breakfast and got up from the table "…Excuse me, I'll see you both soon."

"You'll have to excuse my father he can get a bit excited about certain things, and I hope you won't feel obligated to pay us a visit I know how busy you are here." Edith explained hoping that Robert hadn't made it too awkward for Bertie

"Not at all, I like your father very much and I think I'd enjoy visiting Downton very much as well, that is unless you'd rather I wouldn't."

"Oh, no of course not, that's not what I meant we would love for you to visit, I just don't want you to feel obligated to." Edith explained as she felt a slight blush creep up her cheeks from embarrassment

"It would be a pleasure, honestly." Bertie said earnestly and Edith thought she felt a flutter in her stomach that she hadn't felt for a long time

"I suppose you're all anxious to get back to the children?" Bertie continued as the mention of her daughter and niece and nephew made Edith smile

"Yes of course, we all had a lovely time here but we do miss them when we're away."

"I'm guessing you're a very involved parent?"

"We do have two Nannies that are very in command, but yes I try to spend as much time with Marigold as I can, and all three of them are thick as thieves so once you have one the other two are soon to follow." Edith answered with an obvious beaming pride

"I suppose your trips to London for work can be a welcomed break from time to time."

Edith's expression dropped a bit and she tried to recover with a nervous smile

"Um…well, yes from time to time. It's necessary of course but I try not to go too often."

Bertie picked up on her change in demeanor, instead of the friendly and open atmosphere that existed almost instantly between them Edith looked downcast and uncomfortable and Bertie quickly chastised himself for making her feel that way and tried to quickly think of something else to say but Edith did the work for him

"Do you go to London often?"

"Only when it's important, I'm much more at home in the country." Bertie replied hoping whatever damage he'd done wasn't permanent

"I think the country suits you very well. If you'll excuse me I have to go organize my things, you'll be around to see us off?" Edith said as she rose from her chair

"Yes, yes of course. I'll see you soon."

* * *

AN: Just a short one but the next few will be longer!


	7. Chapter 7

"Good morning Michael" Edith cheerfully said as she entered Michael's office and saw him working away behind his desk

"Aah hello, nice to see you as always you're a bit early, he isn't here yet." Michael greeted her

"Who's that?" Edith asked as she took her seat across from him

"Lord Hexam, he told me he wanted to meet you here to thank you for the work you did. He didn't tell you?"

"No, not at all. How did this all come about?" Edith asked clearly confused

"He gave me a call a few days ago asking when you would be down because he wanted to properly thank you. I just assumed he would let you in on it as well, aren't your families cozy now? You told me him and his mother are invited to yours."

"Yes but in a month or so, you don't think this is a bit strange?" Edith posed to Michael still not fully believing Bertie was going to be meeting her soon

"Not really, you said he was nice so I guess he is just being nice."

Michael noticed that Edith seemed a bit flustered, a way he rarely if ever saw her behave and something popped into his mind, Edith was available and an attractive woman and this Lord Hexam was also available and Edith seemed to enjoy her time with him, common sense could easily tell you what was likely to happen.

A teasing smile came across Michael's face as he leaned across his desk to say

"Would you rather not see him? You can duck into the closet and I'll make you're excuses."

"No, no. That's not it, I'd certainly like- I wouldn't mind-" Edith was interrupted by a light knock on Michael's door.  
Getting up to answer it Michael quickly whispered

"Well you're stuck in it now."

Edith turned in her seat to see Michael opening the door to Bertie looking a bit unsure and holding his hat in his hand

"Lord Hexam, pleasure to meet you. I'm Michael Gregson and you remember Lady Edith of course."

"Nice to meet you as well, and yes hello Edith I trust you're doing well."

Edith stood and caught the slightly surprised look on Michael's face as Bertie called her by her first name and tried to ignore it

"I am thank you, and I hope you and your mother are well?"

"Yes we are. Thank you."

Michael noticed the charged and slightly awkward atmosphere and tried to alleviate some of it

"So, Lord Hexam you're happy with what our Edith came up with?" Michael asked as he directed Bertie to take a seat next to Edith

"Yes of course, it was extremely kind and very well written. Couldn't have done a better job." Bertie excitedly said

"You were a great help Bertie, you made it quite easy." Edith replied as Michael was feeling like a bit of third wheel and thought it best that he quickly excuse himself

"That's wonderful to hear from both of you, I'm glad you both seemed to enjoy the experience…"Michael quickly shot a knowing look to Edith before he continued "…I'm so sorry but if you could excuse me for a moment I have to run these down to our copywriters, it's urgent but I'll be back in a moment." Michael said over his shoulder as he grabbed a stack of papers and left the room

Edith and Bertie both nervously looked at each other as Edith was the first to speak

"Bertie I have to be honest it's a bit of a surprise to see you here."

"I know I should have told you, it's a tad dishonest of me. I do hope it's at least a welcomed surprise."

"It is, of course it is. But I thought you rarely came down to London?" Edith asked feeling a bit confused about the shy way Bertie was behaving

"Like I told you before I only come here if it's important, and well I should probably just get to it…" Bertie turned in his chair to face Edith more directly as she gave him her full attention "…I was wondering if you'd let me take you out to dinner, as a thank you for the job you did, tonight if you're free."

"Oh, are you sure? It's not necessary, I'm sure you'll have something better to do." Edith tried to work her way out of it after being a bit shocked by the invitation

"I think it's necessary, and truthfully, if you'll allow me to say I'd rather spend the evening with you than anyone else." Bertie told her honestly

It took Edith a moment to speak but she finally said

"I see, if you feel that strongly about it then yes, I'd be happy to go to dinner with you, I know a place right around the corner from here, it's called Rules. Meet there at six for a drink before?"

Bertie had a hard time covering the smile that spread over his face as they were interrupted by Michael entering his office "Sorry about that. Edith I hope you were able to entertain our guest."

"I'm a poor substitute for you Michael but Bertie hasn't died from boredom yet." Edith teased right back to an amused Michael

"I'm sure you both have work to do, but I did want to stop by and give my thanks." Bertie said to Michael as he stood to shake his hand

"Not at all, our pleasure actually it turned out we sold more papers than we expected with your feature. So thank you Lord Hexam."

"Anytime, thank you again Mr. Gregson. Edith I'll see you at six." Bertie happily said as Michael watched him walk out the door and turned to Edith

"I'll see you at six? Plans?"

'We're just going to dinner, don't get worked up. He just wants to thank me for writing the article." Edith explained

"Are you sure that's all? He didn't invite me to dinner."

"I know what you're thinking Michael and you're being silly…it's not like that."

"Oh, I think it is, I've been reading your writing for a long time and what you wrote about him or rather the way you wrote about him I can tell that you like him or at least admire him, and why shouldn't you? He seems like a solid sort." Michael explained to a slightly embarrassed Edith

"I do like him, he's a very nice man but to think he's going to start courting me is absurd."

"And why would it be?" Michael quickly challenged

"Because he's very eligible and I'm a…widow with a child for God's sake."

Michael softened then and took a seat next to Edith

"Edith, it's not as if you're covered in black crepe waiting for someone to visit you in an empty house. You have your whole life in front of you, and the truth is you're an attractive woman who is intelligent, independent, caring, and loyal any man would be lucky to have you. Even if he is a rich Marquess." Michael finished with a quick squeeze to her hand as she gave him a watery smile

"Thank you, you can be very sweet when you want to. I just don't know, it feels strange imagining myself in that position after everything." Edith admitted

"You mean everything with Anthony? I didn't know him very well but I think he would want you to be happy, I know if I passed on I'd want Lizzie to find someone who cared for her."

"I know, but it's only been three years. It doesn't seem very long ago, it feels almost…disloyal to even think about someone else." Edith tried to explain

"Edith, it's just dinner. Go out and have a good time, you seem to enjoy his company don't think about it too much."

"You're right, I'm reading too much into it he's just being kind."

"I wouldn't say that but whatever gets you out there."

"I'm lucky to have you Michael, you've always been very good to me." Edith said as she gave Michael a pat on the arm and a sincere smile

"I feel the same way, now go out and have a good time tonight and if he tries anything untoward let me know and if I have to go all the way up to Northumberland to give him a punch in the nose I will."


	8. Chapter 8

Edith made her way through the restaurant to find Bertie waiting at the bar for her

"Sorry if I'm late, I had to run a few errands." Edith made her excuses as Bertie stood and pulled out a chair for her

"Not at all, I was a bit early anyway."

"Have you ever been here before?" Edith asked as Bertie motioned to the barman for to take Edith's drink order  
"No, I don't make it down often but I'm certainly happy to be here now." Bertie said after Edith gave her order

"Thank you again for inviting me, I hope your mother was as happy with my work as you seem to be."

"I think she is, well now that there is no danger of you quoting me, mother can be very determined and I think you accomplished what she intended, so job well done."

"So you're to have every eligible woman in the country after you now?

"Not all of them, half won't want to come that far North." Bertie joked and earned a laugh from Edith

"You'll have to make due then, despite what you say she must be very proud of you and everything that you're doing."

"She is in her own way she is just anxious for me to find a suitable wife."

"As any mother would be in her position, we all face pressures from our parents after all." Edith said as she took a sip of her cocktail

"I hope Lord and Lady Grantham don't give you too much trouble."

"Papa wasn't thrilled when I first started writing but he doesn't mind so much now, and Mama actually takes a liking to it I think."

"The benefit of having an American for a mother I imagine." That earned another laugh from Edith, as Bertie was feeling more confident and happy in his decision to ask Edith out

"We're very lucky to have her, and she's adjusted to life in England well I think. Her and Papa are very happy from what I can tell."

"Good, they're both lovely people and I'm looking forward to seeing them next month." Bertie said referencing the visit he and his mother would be making to Downton

"So are we, in fact don't let him know I told you but I think Papa has a bit of a crush on you. He brings you up nearly every time we speak." Edith admitted to a surprised Bertie

"I hope you're not sick of me then."

Edith couldn't help herself from blushing and admitted to him "Of course not, in fact I'm very glad we've met."

Bertie gave her one of his easy smiles and sincerely told her "Then that makes two of us." 

* * *

"I do love London at night when things have slowed down a bit, well in some places anyway."

Edith said as she walked with Bertie on her way back to her apartment. After dinner he had offered to see her home and she accepted, a part of her worried that when she was writing the story Bertie was putting on some sort of a front or show but their dinner was another example of him being thoughtful, kind, and interested in her as a person.

"I don't mind it now, all the chaos in the day time is what puts me off." Bertie admitted

"I find it invigorating at times, but then again I'm not here very often."

"I do find that hard to believe, I would think a glamorous writer would be the toast of the town, and a daughter of the Earl of Grantham at that."

"I do have a daughter at home, I can't exactly spend all my time in literary salons." Edith reminded him

"Of course, but a night or two every now and then wouldn't hurt." Bertie lightly said as Edith's mood darkened a bit

She was reminded of when she was at Brancaster and Bertie mentioned her visiting London, she felt guilty for how she reacted and what it must have made him feel like if he'd noticed. The intimacy of them walking together down a dim street and the way their burgeoning friendship was progressing made her want to be open and honest with him.

"I try to come to London only when it's a necessity, I feel a bit guilty otherwise."

"Because of Marigold? Surely your family and the nannies would look after her." Bertie reasoned

"No, not that exactly the truth is when my husband passed away I was here in London, attending some party where I thought I could sniff out a column and he was at home with our daughter." Edith bitterly told him still angry with herself for the choice she made

"That's terrible to hear, what happened? I'm sorry, if you'd rather not say it's fine." Bertie told her, of course he had heard rumors as to what happened but he wanted to hear it from Edith herself and hoped that she trusted him enough to tell him

"No, it's fine. I was going away for the weekend and he was looking forward to catching up on reading and spending time with Marigold. From what I was told everything went normally, he had his supper, Marigold was put to bed, he spent some time in the library then went to bed at his usual hour. The next morning however he was late getting out of bed and when his valet checked on him he was still in his bed but cold and not breathing." Edith explained as Bertie patiently listened.

"Edith you can't blame your self for that, I'm not a doctor but it sounds like there was nothing you could do to prevent that."

"I know. It was explained to me many times, the official cause was a massive stroke. There was reason to believe that it happened in his sleep and he felt nothing, which is a blessing I suppose. But the fact of the matter is I can't forgive myself for not being with him."

"That's perfectly understandable, one of the worst things about losing someone is the regret you end up feeling. It's something everyone experiences, I still wish I could have one more conversation with my father but I think what's more important is how happy you were together when he was alive."

Edith gave him a grateful smile "We were happy together, it took us a while to get there but we were happy. I do need to do a better job of remembering that, but thank you Bertie. You're very good at finding a kind perspective in anything."

Bertie took great pride in her compliment and told her

"Thank you, I try to anyway, no one gets through life unscathed after all."

"Very true, well here we are." Edith said as she stopped on the sidewalk and Bertie looked up to see a grand house

"I thought you said you lived in an apartment." Bertie stated as he marveled at the building in front of him

"I do, this is Anthony's family home and he decided to chop it up into apartments to generate more income. It was a bit of a project but we kept the biggest one though, it's comfortable enough for how little I'm here." Edith explained

"That's not a bad idea at all." Bertie said with an impressed look on his face

"Yes, Anthony was very clever. Thank you for seeing me home and for dinner…I had a very nice time tonight." Edith told him with a bright look on her face

"So did I, and I certainly wouldn't mind doing it again when we're both in town." Bertie nervously said hoping he wasn't reaching too far

Edith realized then that despite telling herself the contrary Bertie actually might be interested in more than an friendship with her

"For now you'll have to settle for a visit to Downton, I hope it won't end up being too boring for you."

"I'm looking forward to it very much actually, and with you there I'm sure I'll enjoy it just fine..." Bertie told her as he took her hand "…Goodnight Edith, I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Goodnight Bertie, get home safe and we'll see you at Downton." Edith replied and turned to go into the house with a smile playing at the corner of her mouth. 

* * *

A/N; Glad to see people are still enjoying this, thank you for all the kind reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

Mary looked sideways at her sister fidgeting nervously ever so slightly next to her as the entire family was lined up outside of Downton waiting for the arrival of Bertie and his mother

"Edith?"

"Yes?"

"Do you need to go inside to visit the facilities?" Mary whispered

"What? No, don't be silly." Edith answered becoming aware of the way she couldn't keep still

"You keep squirming. You either sat in a pile of ants or you're nervous about our visitor. You said you got on well with Lord Hexam, why on earth would you be nervous about him coming here and being our guest?" Mary asked her with a suspicious yet amused look taking over her face

"Don't start." Edith warned

"I did have an idea, he was simply glued to you at Brancaster."

"That was work and you know it, don't you have Mr. Talbot to focus all your intrigue on?" Edith asked her hoping Mary wouldn't spend the weekend entertaining her self by trying to make either her or Bertie blush

"Possibly, but you and the Marquess of Hexam are far more interesting."

"I think you'll be disappointed, we nothing more than friends."

"Friends? Well that's a start at least."

* * *

Bertie walked down one of Downton's hallways on his way to dinner and slowed down as he heard Edith's voice coming from one of the open doorways, he peeked around the doorway to see her reading a book to a little girl and boy sitting on the floor with another little girl sitting on her lap.

He softly cleared his throat and said "I hope I'm not interrupting. I just got a bit turned around."

The children at looked at him with a slight annoyance for interrupting their story and Edith looked up with a surprised smile

"Not at all, in fact come in and take a seat, we're almost done."

Edith's statement caused the little girl on the floor to speak up "No, read another one Aunt Edie."

"Sybbie I've already done two, once we finish this you're all going to bed." Edith firmly but kindly told her as Bertie took his spot in a rocker by the door.

Bertie watched as Edith used a soft and soothing voice to read the rest of the story as the girl on her lap cuddled further into her chest and he thought how lucky all the children were to grow up so close to each other and how they had so many people that cared about them under one roof. He hadn't been at Downton or known the Crawleys for very long but he could tell that the children were at the center of universe for everyone in the family.

"Right then, I'll introduce you to our guest then it's off to bed for everyone." Edith said as she closed the book and rose from her seat with the little girl in her arms. The other children got up from the floor and turned to Bertie

"I'm sorry we didn't do this sooner but things turned out to be a bit hectic today with them. Sybbie, this is Lord Hexam." Edith started with what looked like the oldest one and Bertie jumped in

"Just Bertie is fine, pleasure to meet you Miss Sybbie." Bertie bent down to take her small hand in his and Edith introduced George who Bertie complimented on his very strong handshake

Finally Edith turned to the girl in her arms and said "And this is Marigold, say 'hello' to Bertie, dear." Edith encouraged her and tucked one of her blonde curls behind her ear and the shy girl managed to squeak out a greeting.

"Hello Marigold, your mother has told me a great deal about you and it's so nice to finally meet you." Bertie kindly told her

Marigold let out a small smile and wrapped her arms around Edith's neck and Bertie could hear her whisper "Mama I'm tired."

"Yes it's bed time for everyone…"Edith announced then said to Bertie "…this will only take a minute then we'll go down."

Edith ushered the children to bed and tucked them all in, gave them all a kiss on the head and assured Sybbie and George that their parents would be in shortly

Bertie and Edith finally left the nursery and made their way down the staircase

"They're all wonderful children, and it looks like Marigold has your eyes."

Edith smiled at the compliment "Yes, and her father's hair thankfully and his temperament I have to say, she can be a bit shy at first but very sweet and caring."

"Then you have a lot to be proud of."

"I certainly do, and how are you getting on? I hope Downton has proved to be comfortable enough."

"It has, I'm enjoying myself very much and my mother is too I think, she and your Grandmother seem to be getting on." Bertie stopped in the front hall hoping to steal a few more moments with Edith

A look of relief appeared on Edith's a face as she said "Yes and it's a minor blessing, Granny tends to not pull any punches, and I hope Mary's been kind to you she can be…a bit prickly at times."

"She's been very nice in fact, we've been talking about, well, estate things really. She's very keen to do a good job here."

"Yes, and don't we all know it. But I'm sure you could help her with a few things, Brancaster seems to be doing well."

"Luckily yes, but Lady Mary knows what she's doing, she might be able to give me some new ideas actually. I'll have to invite you all up again soon." Bertie suggested

"We'd all enjoy another trip to Brancaster, but if we keep going back and forth people will start to talk." Edith warned

"People will always find a reason to talk, that doesn't mean we shouldn't spend time with people we like."

Edith listened to Bertie's reasoning and found that she agreed then saw Mary and Tom coming down the stairs

"Wise as always, let's get going we wouldn't want to be the last ones in."


	10. Chapter 10

Edith was about to leave for an afternoon walk when Bertie appeared from the library.

"Oh good, I thought I missed you. Do you mind if I join?" Bertie asked

"Of course not but I thought Tom was going to take you to see our pigs."

"That was the plan but something came up in the village he had to attend to, so I thought I'd bother you a bit more."

Edith finished putting on her coat and earnestly said "You're not a bother, in fact I've been meaning to give you a proper tour of the grounds."

"And I've been looking forward to it." Bertie said as he followed her out the door

"I'll take you to the folly then we can come back through the garden, does that sound alright?" Edith asked as Bertie took his place beside her

"Sounds lovely, although truthfully I'm just happy to spend some time with you."

"Bertie…" Edith trailed off, she had suspected Bertie was interested in her since their dinner in London and a part of her wished that he would move on to someone else. That didn't appear to be happening, almost the whole time he was a Downton he seemed to be focused on Edith and carving out time to be with her, she enjoyed it because she liked him very much and felt a certain ease with him. But she also felt that they were heading toward heartbreak, his mother would never allow him to marry someone like Edith when there were so many young women with out a past just waiting to be asked.

"I don't mean to embarrass you but you have to have some idea on how I feel about you." Bertie quietly told her

"I think I do."

"If I'm being a pest please just tell me, the last thing I want to be is a nuisance." Bertie admitted becoming concerned about Edith's short response

"It's not that at all, I like you very much and I enjoy our time together but…don't you think you are wasting your time with me?"

"Why would getting to know you be a waste of time?"

"Bertie I know you aren't this naïve, don't pretend certain things don't matter for people like us."

"To me, the only things that matter are that I think you are intelligent and kind, I feel like I can be myself around you and I want to truly know you and for you to know me. I don't want to force or rush you into anything but you could never be a waste of my time." Bertie told her as he stepped in front of her so he could look her squarely in the face

"That's very sweet of you to say and I'm flattered but don't you think you are selling yourself short?"

Bertie couldn't help but let out a laugh of disbelief "Edith you are one of the most remarkable women I've ever met, if anything I'm pushing my luck. Why on earth would you think that?"

"I'm a widow with a child, Bertie. And I'm getting older I have a past." Edith said becoming frustrated that Bertie wasn't able to comprehend what was so obvious to her and stepping to the side to continue toward the folly

"To be fair I think you're just a year or two younger than me and I feel quite healthy." Bertie said following right behind her

"Don't try and be funny you know exactly what I mean. And if you haven't gotten the point I'll say it very plainly; whether you want to admit it or not there is not a future for us and I don't want to develop any more feelings for you just to have them dashed in the end."

Bertie had to pick up his pace to get in front of Edith as she angrily stomped her way forward and gently put his hands on her arms to get her to calm down

"Edith, now hold on. Did you say any more feelings for me? Does that mean that-"

"What's the point?!"

"Just answer me, tell me if you could think of me as more than just a friend. Please just be honest with me."

Edith knew she could avoid the whole scene by telling him that although she thought of him as a very nice person she wasn't interested in anything more than a friendship with him, but she couldn't bring herself to lie to him with him looking so honestly at her just asking her to tell the truth

"I do Bertie, I didn't expect to ever have something like this again but it's pointless to dwell on it. I'll always be your friend and wish you the best but we can't keep going back and forth seeing each other."

"Why not? Tell me what is standing in between us that is so important."

"Do you really think your mother would allow you to be involved with someone like me when you could have your pick of any young debutant?"

"I'll handle my mother. And I don't want a young debutant I want you."

Edith wasn't used to such forward declarations, she knew Anthony loved her but at times she felt she had to pry it out of him, he was more inclined to show his affection in gestures and the occasional love notes but the way Bertie was speaking to her left no doubt in how he felt

"Do you really feel that way? Because I have someone else to think about and I can't go running off to London or Brancaster whenever it strikes you, I have a life to get on with." Edith defiantly said

"And what if I wanted to be a part of that life?..." Bertie asked as Edith couldn't find the words to respond "…Edith I'm not trying to upend everything right this moment I'm just asking that you give me a chance, to see if we could be happy together. I know you'll put Marigold first and you should and I'm not trying to replace your husband."

"No of course not, and I wouldn't want you to try. It would be unfair to both of you."

Bertie nodded his understanding and thanks and stepped forward to take Edith's hands in his

"So will you give us a chance?"

Edith looked at him skeptically but couldn't help her hands from squeezing his

"I have a feeling this won't be easy and it does seem a bit foolish but it feels wrong to not try. And I hope you know I'm a bit out of practice."

Bertie smiled at her and tucked her hand into the crook of his arm as he turned to continue on toward the folly

"In case you haven't noticed I'm not exactly Casanova, how about we just start by finishing our walk then we'll go on from there?"


	11. Chapter 11

The Crawley family filed back inside after seeing the Pelhams off, Mary and Tom were preparing to go the estate office, Robert went off to the library to catch up on correspondence and Cora caught Edith before she went to go upstairs

"Edith would you come into my study for a moment? I just need to ask your opinion on something."

Edith nodded her agreement and followed her mother

"So did you enjoy our guests this weekend?" Cora asked as she shut the door behind Edith

"Yes, it's always nice to have new conversation. Mrs. Pelham can have her moments but there are worse people in the world I suppose."

"Lord Hexam seemed to enjoy his time, he was quite occupied with you." Cora simply stated as she took a seat next to Edith on the settee

"Mama what did you really want to ask me about?" Edith suspiciously asked

"Well, it's just that he seems to like you a great deal and you don't exactly appear put off by him."

"I get enough teasing by Mary about this don't tell me you want in on it as well." Edith sharply told her

"No, no my dear it's not that at all…" Cora said as she shifted toward Edith and grabbed her hand "…it's just that this is the first time you've spent time with a man since Anthony passed and I wanted to make sure you're comfortable with it."

"Did you have a conversation like this with Mary when her men first came calling?" Edith defiantly asked

"Darling, you and your sister are very different people so no I did not. I know that you are more sensitive and have taken a bit more time mourning, and there is nothing wrong with that."

"I'm sorry Mama I didn't mean to snap. It's been confusing honestly, I like Bertie and spending time with him but when we aren't together I feel almost guilty."

'"Oh, Edith…" Cora sighed as she brought her in for a hug "…You know I'm going to tell you that you don't have to feel that way."

"I know, it's silly but I can't seem to help it."

"It's not silly, you were a very good wife to Anthony but I feel like I have to tell you he would hate thinking that he was holding you back from anything, and I think you know that too."

"I do. But I suppose I'm worried that I'll get too involved and he'll move on when he realizes he could have his pick of anyone." Edith admitted

"Lord Hexam doesn't strike me as a young man who is careless with his attentions, besides I think you're a catch, I know I'm your silly Mama but he'd be lucky to have you."

"Thank you, I know you're supposed to say that but thank you. Do you really think that about him?"

"I think he is a very nice young man who seems to be fascinated by you, and it looks like he makes you happy, and you know I only want to see you happy and taken care of."

Edith blushed at what her mother said and the accuracy of it

"He wants to meet me in London next week. I told him I would call him with an answer later tonight."

"You can't go through life being afraid of getting hurt, it's no way to live. I hope you'll end up going."

"You're right Mama and I'm trying."

"I know you are and even though you are a wonderful mother and grown woman you'll always be my baby." Cora said as she held Edith's cheek

"I hope so, and thank you for everything." 

* * *

Bertie settled into his train carriage hoping the journey would go quickly, he felt a bit guilty about some things he left undone at Brancaster. Although Edith was a welcomed distraction she did tend to take his mind off certain things.

His mother settled across from him and as soon as the train began to lurch forward she wasted no time in speaking her mind

"You and Lady Edith seemed to be chummy this weekend, and here I thought she was done writing about you."

Bertie looked up from his paper to see her with a challenging look on her face

"She's an interesting woman, why wouldn't I want to get to know her?"

"I'm sure she seems very cosmopolitan to you but I hope you won't go leading her down the garden path, or let her lead you for that matter."

"That's not my intention at all, and it certainly isn't hers." Bertie shortly said hoping his mother would drop the subject

"I suppose a friendship with her does have it's advantages, she could introduce you to someone worth your time, raise your profile a bit."

"Are you saying she isn't worth my time?" Bertie shot back taking the bait

"Bertie, you can't be serious. She's a perfectly nice person from a decent family but you know just as well as I do she's simply not an option for you."

"I don't agree at all. There is no reason why she wouldn't be, like you said she's from a good family, she has her own source of income so she's certainly not a gold digger. You have no reason to think she is unsuitable."

"I certainly do and it's staring you right in the face, but you refuse to see it for some reason." Mrs. Pelham fired back

"I only see a remarkable woman who I enjoy spending time with."

"Would you like me to say it? Fine, she's…used up Bertie. Do you really want to take on someone's child, live in another man's shadow for the rest of your life when you could have your pick of any young woman? I hope you can see that she views you as an opportunity to find security for her daughter and move up the social ladder without giving you much in return. Not to mention her career as a journalist, her mother may not see anything wrong with it but what can you expect from an American?"

"You really can be quite ignorant when you want to be mother." Bertie bitterly told her

"The only thing I'm doing is looking out for your future, I hope you can appreciate that at least."

"And what about my happiness in the future? Would you prefer I waste my life being miserable with some woman as long as I marry her in her first season?" Bertie asked her with obvious frustration in his voice

"I hate to ruin any romantic dreams but people in your position marry for more than just love, you have to be smart about this."

"Mother, I doubt we'll ever agree on this so I'll just say that I'm beginning to care for Edith a great deal, and I'll be the only one to make decisions about my future, whether it has to do with marriage or anything else." Bertie strongly told her as he set his paper aside

"I just think that-"

"I think I've made myself clear, and I won't discuss it further. I'll be in the dinning car." Bertie cut her off as he opened the door and left his mother worried about her who her son was choosing to spend his time with. 

* * *

DunDunDun, can't have all smooth sailing can we? Thanks so much for all your wonderful reviews! Happy to see that people are enjoying this!


	12. Chapter 12

"Lovely day for it." Edith simply said to Bertie as they made their way through one of London's lush parks

"Yes, we lucked out. And thank you for coming I know you don't exactly jump to visit London, but I just think that it's …I don't know-"

"Easier to be here, without all the formalities and families. It's so relaxing just to go to dinner with one other person and spend the day ambling around a park." Edith cut in

"Beautifully said, you really do have a talent with words." Bertie told her impressed that she managed to say exactly what he was thinking

"You're wrong though, I did find myself looking forward to coming here this time. I suppose you're to thank for that."

"Do you mean that?" Bertie asked as he snuck his hand into Edith's

"Yes, it's been a while since I was excited to be here. Michael and Lizzie are my friends of course but they have their own lives obviously and that really make up for the train ride every few weeks. But I'm having a nice time now, I really am." Edith answered as she stepped closer to Bertie and let her hand rest in his

"Good, I'm very glad." Bertie told her with a sincere smile

"Bertie, before I forget did you say anything to my mother when you were at Downton?"

"Not anything I can remember beyond just pleasant conversation, if you recall I mostly spent my time with you. Did she say something? Does she not approve of me?" Bertie teased as he brushed Edith's thumb with his

"She thinks you're very charming, but she seems to be on to us and I just wondered if you had said something."

"I don't remember but it's probably my fault I didn't exactly practice subtlety and Lady Grantham seems like the observant type, you're not ashamed of me are you?" Bertie said with another teasing smile

"Of course not, granted you're an awful bridge partner but you have other qualities make up for it."

"Thank you for seeing my positive qualities, here let's take a seat." Bertie motioned toward a bench under a tree as Edith followed.

"You do have many, whether you'll admit it or not..." Edith told him as he lifted his arm to rest across the back and curl into Edith's shoulder "…you know if anyone sees us cozied up like this there might be a scandal."

"If you want I can move further down and give us a more respectable distance."

"I didn't say that, I was just letting you know what you might be getting yourself into." Edith warned and despite the potentially gossipy position she was in felt very happy and comfortable sharing the bench with Bertie

"I'm fully aware. Edith I want you to know that I'm serious about you, I'm starting to have deep feelings for you and if I'm honest I hope you feel at least a little bit of the same." Bertie quietly told her shifting his body to face her more directly

Edith smiled at him at first, appreciative of his honesty and direct way of telling her how he felt

"I'm starting to have those feelings, it's still a bit difficult for me so I hope you can be patient."

"I know and I will be. I hope you can feel comfortable enough with me to tell me if you're ever feeling hurried because I'd hate for you to feel that way."

"You've been very good so far, much more than any other man would be I suspect. I know I'm asking a lot but I feel so lucky to have met you." Edith told him looking into his eyes with a shy smile on her face

"Me too, very lucky." Was the only thing Bertie said as they sat closely together in a secluded area of the park and Bertie slowly brought his free hand up to gently lift Edith's chin toward his

Edith had wondered if she and Bertie would get to this point, even if she would ever get to this point with another man at all. But it felt expected and easy and she closed the distance between Bertie's lips and hers and they lingered for a moment until the kiss broke naturally and they both smiled at each other

"I've been wanting to do that for a while, I hope I didn't overstep my boundary." Bertie admitted as he took Edith's hand in his again

"No, you didn't at all I'd actually be open to it again if you're so inclined." Edith smiled up at him with a flirty look in her eye

"I think I'll always be very much inclined." 

* * *

"Oh, you're back." Edith heard over her shoulder and looked to see Mary entering the library

"Yes, just got in an hour or so ago. Michael wants me to write an extra column this month so here I am."

"Michael's clever, he probably can guess you'll be going to London a bit more frequently now and he might as well get some production out of it." Mary cooly reasoned as she took a seat and Edith only gave her a tight smile in response

"So did he wine and dine you?" Mary added

"We had a very nice time, no need to get all worked up there was nothing out of the ordinary."

"I wouldn't call the way he was fawning over you last week ordinary and now you're being whisked off to London? If I didn't know any better I'd say the two of you are a bit of an item." Mary stated with another one of her raised eyebrows

"It's amazing how interesting my life seems to be to everyone in this house." Edith said trying to dodge the topic

"It's not everyday we have a Marquess sniffing around." Mary shot back

"Or a racecar driver for that matter." Edith returned

"The difference is I'm not shy about Henry, you get very timid anytime Bertie is brought up but when he was here you two were practically inseparable. He's not just something casual for you is he?"

Edith set her papers aside and knew that her sister wouldn't stop until she got a satisfactory answer

"No, not at all. I didn't think I'd find this again, but here we are. I think I can be happy with him given some time and patience on his part."

"You're that sure about him? Already?"

"We're not exactly planning the wedding but we're not just out for a good time either. Others might be able to run through men but that's never been me."

"I hope that wasn't directed at me." Mary haughtily said as Edith smiled

"Not entirely but you've always had a talent for attracting a pool of men, no reason why you shouldn't take advantage of it." Edith explained

"It does pass the time, but you've managed to find the good ones. I thought Anthony was a bit dull at first but I turned out to be pleasantly surprised."

"Anthony enjoyed your little friendship those last few months and I was surprised as anyone else." Edith said as she remembered the unexpected connection her husband and sister developed first over estate modernization then genuine friendship

"Yes, Bertie reminds me of him a bit, not flashy but decent with a good heart. My God Edith I think you have a type."

Edith smiled at the comparison and replied

"Maybe I do, he likes you, you know. He thinks you're very clever when it comes to estate management."

"That's good to hear, I like him too if that means anything." Mary said proud that someone recognized all her hard work on the estate

"It does, I'd rather not go back to us sniping at each other and you and Bertie getting along makes things easier should it get to that point."

"I thought you said you weren't planning the wedding?"

"We're not and don't you start either."


	13. Chapter 13

Edith started to gather her things as the train was slowing down coming into Brancaster. Bertie had talked about inviting just her for another visit during their last time in London, although he admitted there were things he had to take care of as Marquess and landlord that would delay the visit he was very enthusiastic. He seemed to be enthusiastic about most things, that was something Edith loved about him, after Anthony had passed the responsibility of managing an estate and a journalism career and raising a child nearly on her own caused Edith to become a bit more serious and more prone to over looking the simple things in life that usually brought her joy.

But with Bertie becoming a part of her life the pleasure he took from small things such as a quiet walk, sharing a newspaper over coffee in a café or even just sitting near each other was rubbing off on Edith and even when they were apart she found herself more appreciative of her time with Marigold and more engaged with other members of her family.

Edith was guarded at first with Bertie, she couldn't deny that she was attracted to him in everyway but now after knowing each other for a few months she had to admit to herself that she was falling for him and if her women's intuition was worth anything she knew he was falling for her as well.

The train came to a stop and Edith could see Bertie waiting for her on the platform, she quickly checked her reflection in the glass of the compartment door and went out to meet him

"Hello there." Edith greeted as Bertie watched her walk up to him

"Lovely to see you darling." Bertie replied as he leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the lips

"Bertie! Don't make a spectacle of us." Edith whispered as she looked around at the other people milling about the station

"I'm the Marquess of Hexam I think I can kiss a beautiful woman at the train station if I want." Bertie told her in mock seriousness and earned a smile from Edith as the Porter appeared with Edith's luggage.

"That's mine shall we go?" Edith asked

"Yes, right this way. I hope the journey wasn't too tough." Bertie led Edith to the waiting car but with no chauffer in sight

"Oh, it was fine. Where's your driver?"

"I wanted to get you all by myself, I thought we'd enjoy a little time to ourselves right off the bat…If that's not too scandalous." Bertie told her with a teasing smile

"I trust you but I'm afraid you're reputation might take a beating if it gets out." Edith warned him as he tipped the Porter and went to open her door

"I think the risk is worth it." Bertie replied before he shut her door and walked around to his side

"So what do you have planned for us this weekend?" Edith asked as Bertie started the car

"Well I've gave the whole staff the weekend off and sent them away and I've shipped my mother off to my aunt's house so you and I will do nothing but sit in the library together with no one to bother us until one of the footmen comes back to carry down your bags." Bertie confidently told her struggling to keep a joking smile from breaking across his face

"Sounds lovely but I think you forgot that we'll need to eat this weekend, how do you expect to deal with that? I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook."

"You're dealing with an Army man, I'll handle all of that. You don't mind eating sandwiches all weekend do you?"

"I might, but I'm sure you make wonderful sandwiches."

"I do actually, but you'll have to carry in the firewood and all that, can't expect me to do everything." Bertie joked as he drove through the small village toward the castle

"That would be nice wouldn't it? Just you and I tucked away somewhere for a few days with no one to bother us?" Edith imagined and Bertie looked over at her and gave her a warm smile

"I could arrange that Edith, if you really wanted to."

"I would, but…"

"Not quite yet?" Bertie finished for her

"Right, not quite yet. Sorry if I got your hopes up."

"Don't worry, I'm just happy you're here now."

"So am I." Edith replied as she looked over a Bertie with his eyes on the road and reached over to give his arm a squeeze

"We will have to deal with a full house unfortunately and the real plan for tonight is dinner with Reverend Janes and Lord and Lady Linsley, they live nearby and have turned out to be good friends of mine, they're very excited to meet you in fact."

"And why's that?"

"Can't you guess?" Bertie laughed to himself as Edith did seem a bit clueless

"I don't know…they read my column?" Edith ventured

"They do now…"

"Go on Bertie, stop teasing me!" Edith demanded as she used her glove to give him a playful slap on the arm

'"It's because I've been talking about you non stop for the past five months. I'm fairly certain they know almost everything about you so conversation might be a bit one sided." Bertie told her as he gave her an apologetic smile

"And you like them?" Edith asked beaming inside knowing that Bertie felt so proud of her

"I do very much, they're only a few years older than us and they've been a great help to me adjusting to everything, you'll like them. But tomorrow night I was thinking we could go into town for dinner? There's a restaurant there I'd like to take you to, it's not exactly London standards but it's charming enough."

"I'd love to." Edith answered already looking forward to dinner with just Bertie and no one else

"And I was thinking Sunday you could come to church with me and mother and take the afternoon train home? Reverend Janes will probably invite you but I can always make your excuses if you'd rather not."

"If it means being able to have lunch with you before I go I think I can stand it."

Bertie turned the car onto the long drive up to Brancaster and snuck another look at Edith admiring the grounds

"Sounds like a plan to me" 

* * *

"Join me in the library for a night cap?" Bertie suggested as a footman took Edith's coat after they returned from their night out

"I was hoping you'd ask me that." Edith answered him as she wrapped her arms around his and walked with him toward the library

Bertie prepared their drinks as Edith took a seat close to the already roaring fire, she was careful to give Bertie just enough space to sit comfortable in between her and the arm of the couch

"Here we are." Edith heard Bertie say as he held out the glass he made for Edith and sat down next to her encouraging her to lean back into his chest

"Thank you and thank you for dinner tonight, I enjoyed it very much maybe we can go back?"

"I guess that means you'll have to visit Brancaster again."

"Would you mind?" Edith asked as she looked up at him

Bertie let out a soft laugh and smiled down at her "Hardly…in fact it's quite the opposite…"

Edith waited for Bertie to finish and just took another sip of her drink to buy time

"…Edith, what I mean is I'd rather have you here than not, all the time. That wasn't very articulate but I think you know what I mean, that I'm wondering how you would feel about living here and of course everything that would go along with that."

"You're talking about taking a big step."

"I am, I hope it doesn't come as a huge surprise you know I'm mad for you." Bertie told her hoping he wasn't scaring her away

"I'm not exactly the type of girl men are mad about but no, it's not a surprise. But there is something we need to talk about before we go any further." Edith said as she straightened herself out and turned to face Bertie directly

"Alright, go on."

Edith cleared her throat before starting, what she was about to say was something she wanted to talk about and was something she was worried about but she never found the right time to bring it up

"It's just that, you know that I have a responsibility toward Marigold and if you're serious about me you'll have to take her on as well, we're a package deal. And I need to say that I won't have her treated as less than and stashed away in the attics, she's my daughter and I won't have her pushed away."

Edith strongly finished, a part of her worried that Bertie wasn't taking the entire situation seriously enough, that he was just infatuated with her and didn't realize that when it came down to it he would have to be a step-father and be responsible for someone else's child

"Edith, I would never want that. I know you're Marigold's mother first and I won't ask you to change that."

"Have you really considered everything Bertie? She'll know you're not her natural father and she might have difficulties with that later on, she won't be a shy little girl forever." Edith challenged him still worried that he was caught up in the emotion of their courtship and was ignoring the possible problems they might have later on

"I know, and I don't intend to try and replace Anthony. But I would like to be involved in raising her, I'd like to be there for her just as any father would be and I know there will be a time where she'll come to you wanting to know about who her real father was and you'll have to tell her."

"You say you're fine with that now but what about in ten years? She might have times where she misses him, where she resents you because you're here and he's not. Could you deal with that?"

"I understand it will be difficult at times but if I take the easy route and go after someone just because they don't have a past to deal with I'll always regret not giving it my all with you. If Marigold can capture my heart like her mother did then I couldn't imagine a bigger honor than being a part of her life."

"You're a rare breed, do you know that?" Edith told him as she brought his hand into her lap

"And you think very highly of me, much more than I deserve…" Bertie told her as her leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss, but before he could continue something was on his mind that he wanted to address with her

"…Edith, when you were talking about Marigold missing Anthony do you think you might feel that too at times?"

Edith gave him a weak smile grateful that he was being considerate of her feelings

"I'd be lying if I said I'll never think of Anthony again, he's the father of my child and we had our happy times together but I've also realized that I don't want to live in the past and I think that you're my future, at least I hope so." Edith bashfully finished knowing the weight of the words she was saying.

"Well I hope so too." Bertie said unable to contain the smile that spread across his face

"I'm happy with where we are Bertie, and I can't thank you enough for being patient with me."

"No need to rush anything…" Bertie quietly agreed with her as his free hand came up to cradle the side of her face "…good things are worth waiting for anyway." 

* * *

A/N; Thanks for still sticking with the story! I have a few chapters left and things should pick up a bit in the next one, I did borrow some dialogue from Fellowes in this one and his characters of course


	14. Chapter 14

Edith was packing her things to return to Downton, she had just finished her lunch with Bertie but the two had planned a bit more time together before he took her to catch the late afternoon train, she was just finishing as she heard a light knock at her door and assumed it was Bertie becoming impatient with her

"Come in" Edith happily said and turned around to be surprised at Mrs. Pelham standing the in the doorway

"I hope I'm not disturbing."

"No, not at all I was just finishing up, and I'm meant to meet up with Bertie, he wants to show me the stables." Edith told her as a tense silence settled between the two of them, Mrs. Pelham was pleasant enough at dinner the other night and this morning but now she seemed tense and uncomfortable

"I'm afraid Bertie had to run to the estate manager so he's out at the moment, was everything satisfactory during your stay?" Mrs. Pelham asked out of politeness

"Yes, everything was wonderful. Thank you very much, is there something I can help you with?" Edith asked wanting to figure what exactly seemed to be troubling her

"Yes actually, do you mind if we sit?" Mrs. Pelham told her gesturing to a pair of chairs next to the fireplace

Edith nodded her agreement and took her place across from her

"Lady Edith, you and Bertie are quite involved with each other, let me know if I'm off the mark but things seem to be getting serious." Mrs. Pelham stated and paused for Edith's reaction

"Oh, um well yes you could say that." Edith was a bit caught off guard but she figured with him as an only child Bertie's mother would be a bit protective of him

"That's what I would like to talk to you about, you're both adults and can spend your time however you see fit but you have to realize anything more than, let's say a friendship will end poorly for both of you." Mrs. Pelham carefully and calmly said as Edith looked at her a bit shocked about how quickly the conversation had turned

"Mrs. Pelham I can't say I agree, I don't know what you think of me but I'm certainly not looking to take advantage of your son."

"I don't think that is your intention but you have to see if things go further Bertie will end up regretting it and only being unhappy. He's never been one to have the attentions of many women but now he has a well bred woman who has made a name for herself, for better or worse, in London society fawning over him at first as a job requirement and now he's interpreted it as something more."

"With all due respect you're making assumptions about Bertie and I that are not true. I care for him and we've had frank discussions about our relationship and we both know where we stand." Edith told trying not to let her emotions get the best of her

"I'd remind you that you've only known my son for not even half a year, I know him better than you ever could and I know that you could never really make him happy."

What Mrs. Pelham was saying was cutting to Edith's core and was something that was lurking at the back of mind ever since she started seeing Bertie, but all the honest conversations they've had popped into her mind and she felt the need to defend herself

"And why couldn't I? I can support and help him in his duties as Marquess, and…I love him and I have every reason to believe he loves me."

Mrs. Pelham gave her a cold look and continued in a stern voice

"You may think that now, but you're living in a fairy tale, Bertie will always be in your husband's shadow. You'll always have an idealized version of Sir Anthony, he was taken from you in the easiest part of your marriage, the early days when everything was blissful and he was cooing over your new baby. If you were to marry Bertie and you had to go through the ups and down of a long marriage you'd end up comparing the both of them, and in a way where Bertie could never win."

Edith became thoughtful then, Mrs. Pelham was telling her all the reservations she had were bound to come true, she saw that Edith was considering what she was saying so she continued

"Not to mention having your daughter around, a constant reminder of what was taken from you, who won your heart first. Edith if you love Bertie like you say you do you owe him a chance to make a life with someone who can love him wholly, you have to agree that he deserves that at least."

"Why are you so set against us?" Was the only thing Edith thought to say

Mrs. Pelham reached across to take Edith's hand in what was meant as a comforting gesture but only made Edith shrink from her touch

"My dear, I only want what is best, for the both of you. Bertie can find a woman he can make his wife and you have your daughter and your career and your life in London. You have that, don't give that all up to mope around a drafty castle regretting the choice you made at the height of emotion and sentimentality."

"This is all so-"

"You don't have to make any decisions now, but I know you'll think about it and make the right choice…" Mrs. Pelham interrupted a frustrated Edith and continued "…I think it's best if you leave now, I have a car waiting and you'll be able to make the early train that stops in Downton. I could tell you agreed with some of what I'm saying. You owe it to yourself and to him to have a serious think about it."

"I'd at least like to say goodbye to Bertie, I can't stand the thought of running out on him with out a word." Edith reasoned as everything Mrs. Pelham said to her was running through her mind

"He's still out and I think it's best that you give yourself some room to think about what we talked about, it looks like you've packed everything if we leave now you can make your train. The car is waiting."

Edith hated the idea of slipping out without a word, it seemed almost cowardly but Mrs. Pelham had given her a great deal to think about and all she wanted now was the familiarity of her own home and to spend time with the children to take her mind off all of this.

"Would you please tell him I'll write him?"

"Of course I will dear." Mrs. Pelham assured her as she began to help gather Edith's things 

* * *

Mrs. Pelham watched Edith's car drive away from the front door before returning to Brancaster's great hall proud of herself that she managed to make the young woman see reason and get her out of the house without Bertie noticing.

"What are you up to Mother?" She saw Bertie exiting the library with a happy smile on his face

"Oh, there you are."

"I told you I was just in the library, Edith is getting her things ready so I took the opportunity to go over a few figures. I'd like to show her the stables she mentioned she used to ride as a child so I thought she might-"

"She left Bertie, a while ago." Mrs. Pelham interrupted to Bertie's concerned face

"What?! Why?!"

"Something having to do with her daughter, it sounded serious she was quite determined to get home."

"I should probably go-"

"I know what you're thinking and let her be, you'll be no help. She's a mother her only focus is on her child, you'll only distract her and make her more upset."

Bertie felt a rush of emotions, concern and anxiety for whatever Marigold and Edith seemed to be going through, guilt that Edith was here instead of at Downton during whatever happened, and sadness that Edith didn't bother to tell him she was leaving

"Maybe I could drive her to Downton in the car, it might be quicker."

"And risk getting in an accident, how would that make the Crawley's feel? The train left at this point anyway, she told me she would contact you when she could so don't go bothering her, you'll only annoy her."

Mrs. Pelham could see Bertie being convinced and felt proud of herself for completing the other part of her plan, keeping Bertie from making some desperate rush to her, all she had to hope for now was that Edith would write him a sufficiently vague letter making the right choice sooner rather than later.

"Lets just hope Marigold turns out to be all right. I'll be upstairs if you need me." Bertie somberly said as Mrs. Pelham triumphantly watched him walk up the stairs


	15. Chapter 15

Bertie quietly worked his way through his breakfast with his mother sitting next to him. It had been about a week since Edith left and Bertie hadn't heard anything from her and struggled everyday to not call her or send a note.

And everyday his mother would ask "Have you heard from Lady Edith yet?" and everyday he would tell her he didn't and she would respond the same way "Well I'm sure she is just busy, you'll hear from her soon best not to disturb her."

Mrs. Pelham was also anxiously awaiting word from Edith, hopefully one that would end things between her and Bertie finally. She was keeping a close eye on Bertie this week he was definitely in a drab and worrisome mood, and she would be thankful once the both of them could put Edith Strallan behind them and move on to something more productive. In fact she already had some young women in mind that she thought would be perfect to introduce to Bertie once he had a few weeks to sulk.

"What do you have planned today Mother?"

"Nothing much, I'll run into the village later. What about you dear?"

Bertie took his time answering as he dreaded the prospect of another day constantly worrying about Edith

"I just have to figure out which cottages are worth repairing, that's all."

"Have you gotten word from Lady Edith yet?"

"No I have not. I'm getting worried, I thought about sending a note to Mr. Branson just to see if there is anything I can do."

"She's probably fine, I just think-"

"I know what you think, Mother. There'll be no harm in contacting Mr. Branson." Bertie sharply answered

Mrs. Pelham didn't respond but hoped Edith would hurry up and do what she needed to do, of course Bertie would be hurt but it would be best in the long run, for all parties involved, really.

The butler came in with the morning post and Mrs. Pelham saw the same look in Bertie's face that she had seen for the past week, guarded optimism hidden behind a need to appear detached to people around him.

Bertie accepted the small pile of letters meant for him and shuffled through looking for familiar handwriting and Mrs. Pelham saw his eyes widen as he settled on a particular envelope.

After a whole week of waiting and hoping for any word from her and questioning if he really should give her the space his mother said she needed Bertie finally recognized Edith soft feminine handwriting and had to keep himself from ripping it open. He set the other letters aside and although he could feel his mother's eyes watching him he quickly opened the letter and began to read.

 _Bertie,_

 _I have to apologize for my behavior last week, it was rude and inconsiderate however at the time I felt the need to be alone with my thoughts and could only do that at Downton. I also apologize for taking so much time in writing you, but there was a great deal I had to consider and I wanted to make sure I made the appropriate decision and used the right words._

 _Our time together is something I'll always cherish but I won't be able to see you anymore. As you know from the outset I was unsure if pursuing another relationship would be wise I've realized that continuing further would only end up hurting both of us. I think it's wise if we stop now before becoming more attached to one another._

 _This has been extremely hard for me to write but I hope you can understand and accept my decision. I believe you will make someone very happy one day and I wish you nothing but the best moving forward and hope to remain your friend._

 _Best Wishes_  
 _Edith_

* * *

Robert looked over the top of his morning paper to see Edith picking at her food and looking downcast, he appreciated that Edith still joined him for breakfast. Once Mary was married she followed the custom of a married woman taking breakfast in bed almost religiously but from what Edith said she even joined Anthony in the dining room at Locksley for breakfast. Robert was happy to hear that Edith preferred to get a running start on the day because it meant when she moved back to Downton he could start his day off with her again. There was Tom of course but he tended to spend his mornings with Sybbie then straight to the estate office.

The thing that pained Robert the most when all his girls went off to get married is that one by one they ended up missing from breakfast table and he was ashamed to say he took it for granted when all his girls were there with him to start the day

"Are you feeling all right Edith?" Robert softly asked as Edith tapped her finger on the edge of her fork and didn't seem to hear him

"Edith?...Edith?" Robert had to raise his volume in order for Edith's head to snap up

"Yes, sorry Papa I was miles away."

"Are you all right?"

"I just had trouble sleeping last night, that's all." Edith told him giving a weak smile

Robert didn't believe her for a second, she had been moody and distracted the whole week, ever since she had rushed back from Brancaster for some reason. Edith never was able to hide her emotions for very long in stark contrast to Mary, at times Robert marveled at how different the two of them were. He thought he'd never be really able to tell how Mary felt until she came out and told him, Edith on the other hand was always unable to hide her disappointment or pain from the time she was a little girl to the woman sitting across from him right now

"Carson, would you go sort out some more toast these have gone cold." Robert said over his shoulder with a pointed look, Carson dutifully nodded and quickly left the room

"Edith, you've been a bit off ever since you came back from Brancaster, I hope Bertie hasn't upset you."

Edith was almost relieved at what her father said, the whole week she had been trying to figure out what to do with Bertie she was short and sullen with almost everyone in her family. Mary had become frustrated and chose to ignore her until her mood improved, Cora had been distracted by new developments at the hospital so she hadn't gotten the chance to really observe how distracted Edith had been. But Robert had sat through a nearly wordless breakfast all week, observed Edith choosing to spend solitary time in the garden rather than take tea with the family and saw go to her room early after dinner every night.

"No he hasn't upset me, I told you he's been nothing but a perfect gentlemen…" Edith quickly defended him but took a moment to admit to her father what was really bothering her "…but I sent a letter yesterday where I broke with him. He's reading it right now I imagine and I'm not quite sure I made the right choice."

"You broke with him?"

"I know you liked him very much, and I did too but…" Edith didn't know exactly how to finish the sentence, she wasn't even sure she made the right decision

"I do like him but I think you know that I care for you a great deal more, what made you end it with him?"

"His mother had a conversation with and mentioned some things that I hadn't really considered or tried to ignore."

"Such as?" Robert asked becoming concerned at what Mrs. Pelham had said to Edith to change her mind about Bertie so completely

"That Bertie will always be in Anthony's shadow, and that it wouldn't be fair to him for us to continue on."

"Do you think that's true?"

"I could never forget about Anthony, I know that's true and I would hate for things to progress and Bertie end up resenting me so I suppose she is right." Edith said with a defeated tone in her voice that nearly made Robert's blood boil

"Oh, is she?"

Edith had nothing to say to Robert's challenge and wasn't sure if she wanted someone to support her decision or talk her out of it

"Did Bertie ever bring up these concerns with you? Was he ever jealous of Anthony?"

"No, actually he was always very supportive and understanding, kind even." Edith admitted beginning to see a different logic

"I would expect as much from him…" Robert confidently said "…Edith may I ask you something?"

"Yes, Papa I care for Bertie very much." Edith guessed

"I think I knew that but I was going to ask, when you were married to Anthony did he ever bring up Lady Maud?"

"Not often, but sometimes. I was usually the one to ask him about her."

"And why was that?" Robert continued to ask

"Because I loved him and wanted to know all about him, even the things that happened before we met." Edith answered and her own situation becoming shockingly clear in an instant

"And did you ever feel jealous of Lady Maud?"

Edith thought back to her time with Anthony and the occasional times they would speak about his first wife, the only thing Edith was jealous of was the fact that Maud had Anthony when he was a younger man but otherwise she just felt sympathetic for his loss and grateful that she had the chance to be married to him

"Maybe at times but it didn't matter because I was with Anthony and I was happy." Edith thoughtfully said with a smile toward her father

"And you were happy because you loved each other, isn't that right?" Robert asked her, pleased that Edith seemed to seeing sense

"Yes Papa, and you don't have to ask. I'm having those feelings towards Bertie and I think, well I'm actually fairly certain that he cares for me in that way." Edith told him with the realization apparent in her face

"Well, it seems like you've got yourself in a pickle as your American grandmother would say."

"Oh Papa, I think I've made a huge mistake. He'll never forgive me." Edith worriedly said with Robert already thinking she might be overreacting

"Mistakes can be corrected darling, it's nothing a frank conversation can't sort out. Just be honest with him."

Edith tossed her napkin on the table and quickly stood up

"I should probably go call him." Edith stated looking for confirmation from Robert and still in a bit of a daze

"I think that would be a good start, give him my regards if you remember." Robert said as Edith walked behind his chair then quickly turned to give him a kiss on the cheek

"Thank you Papa, you're wonderful."

* * *

Bertie slunk back into his chair confused and defeated, he knew Edith felt some uneasiness about jumping into another relationship but he thought they both had handled it well. He tried to be supportive and understanding and he thought Edith was quite honest with him about it she had even said she was happy with where they were.

"Who is that from?" His mother's question brought Bertie out of his thoughts

"Edith."

"And what did she say?" Mrs. Pelham asked with a certain edge to her voice

With his head still swimming Bertie blurted out

"She doesn't want to see me anymore apparently."

Bertie thought he saw a slight smile appear at the corner of his mother's mouth but she quickly put on a sympathetic face and told him

"It's probably for the best dear, I'm just upset it seems she took up so much of your time. Don't dwell on it too much, there are plenty of fish in the sea after all."

"I can't understand how we went from being perfectly happy during her visit to her breaking with me within a week." Bertie stated remembering the time they spent with each other and how he began to consider when a good time to propose would be

"Women can be fickle Bertie, and only other women can really understand their character. After a while I'll find some decent young women for you that you can seriously think about." Mrs. Pelham told him with an encouraging smile

"Little early for that don't you think?" Bertie sarcastically asked as he rose from the table

"I'm just as upset as you are for Lady Edith wasting your time but you're still a catch and deserve a good wife."

"I'm going for a walk." Bertie announced not ready to even think about spending time with someone else

A few moments after Bertie left a footman appeared and caught Mrs. Pelham's attention

"A phone call for Lord Hexam, I can run out and still catch him Mam, it seems urgent."

"Who is it?"

"Lady Edith, from Downton Abbey, Mam."

Mrs. Pelham looked to see the nervous footman awaiting instruction, he was good at his job the servants had to have gathered that there was something going on between Edith and Bertie and they of course all knew how she rushed out and also heard how Bertie had been waiting all week to hear from her.

"It won't be necessary, in fact tell her that her calls won't be accepted here anymore and don't breathe a word of it to his Lordship or anyone else for that matter."

"Are you sure Mam?"

"Yes I am and I'd hate to have to start looking for a new footman." Mrs. Pelham snapped.

* * *

A/N: Whoooaaa you guys sure don't like Mrs. Pelham and I guess this chapter won't make it any better, sorry!


	16. Chapter 16

Bertie walked down the street and his mind drifted back to nearly a year ago when he walked Edith home from dinner after their first real date. He felt a bit foolish for comparing the two since his current situation was about as different from that night as you could imagine. Last year it was late night, late autumn chilly, quiet and intimate with the street virtually deserted and he hoped it wouldn't end.

Now it was early evening, warm as you would expect in the late summer with many couples rushing about headed somewhere or another to start their evening. And most glaring was that he had been pushed to come out tonight and he would be happier when he would be able to return to Hexam house and even happier when he could excuse himself from London entirely and return to Brancaster. It seemed there was something that reminded him of Edith around every corner. He knew there were worse things to be doing and many men would love to be in his position, Celia of course was a pretty girl and pleasant enough, always seemed to be the life of the party and center of attention. Conversation never lacked when she was around, that was a blessing at least, that he never felt guilty for being a bit too quiet or melancholy, Celia would always pick up the slack.

It was hard to dislike her, when his mother brought her over to introduce her to him she smiled widely and sweetly and seemed very interested in what Bertie's favorite animal was too shoot, or what car he preferred, or his favorite place to listen to jazz and dance. After only being introduced to society a few weeks prior she was eager to find the most fashionable places and would greatly appreciate someone in the know to show her around.

Bertie acquiesced of course, it was rude not to and he was beginning to feel sorry for himself a bit too much. He hoped Celia would distract him, and she would while they were together but when he was alone he'd find himself comparing her to Edith, wondering what Edith was doing, and hoping he'd snap out of it.

Bertie felt the tugging on his arm and realized Celia was talking to him

"Sorry, what was that? Traffic is a bit loud isn't it?" Bertie said as an excuse, he was getting very good at blaming other things for his lack of attention

"I asked if you'd be going to the theater next week? You know they are performing a very funny play I've heard and I'd love to go see it with someone." The young woman smiled up at Bertie as she cuddled on to his arm

"I'm due back at Brancaster I'm afraid, but I'm sure one of your many friends will gladly go with you."

"Oh I see them often enough, I'd much rather have you take me."

Bertie smiled in embarrassment

"Aah well, you know duty calls. We're expecting a very busy harvest season."

"It's so silly that you'd rather be all the way up in Northumberland discussing crops when you could be in London, don't estate managers take of all those things?"

"Sometimes, where are we going again?" Bertie wanted to change the subject, he wasn't interested in debating his involvement in his estate with her again, she clearly felt he should just employ people to run it and that it was all rather boring

"A friend of my cousin's, it's a bit of a literary set I'm told but hopefully there won't be too many odd ducks around." Celia laughed, she had a very loud laugh.

"I'm sure there will be very interesting conversation all around."

"Oh Bertie, always optimistic!" Celia laughed again as she directed them to their destination.

Bertie reached out and knocked, he felt cocktail parties were hit or miss but he would hear it from his mother if he didn't pick up on Celia's implied invitation and there was always the possibility of him seeing an old Army friend or finding a decent conversation with someone who felt stuck in London for one reason or another

The heavy door opened and Celia soon said

"Hello! I hope you didn't mind but I've brought a friend, the more the merrier after all!"

"Good evening Lady Celia and no, not at all…Lord Hexam, nice to see you again."

"Mr. Gregson, you as well. Celia didn't tell me you were the host." Bertie told him as the group moved into the foyer

"How do you two know each other?" Celia excitedly asked

"Just from an story we did on him, what was it? Last year?"

"Yes, last year." Bertie confirmed as Celia went off to greet another guest

"I hadn't expected to see you here, you're more than welcome of course but…" Michael told him quietly

"Thank you, but if you'd rather I'd leave I'll understand completely."

"No, no I don't think that's entirely necessary." Michael told him but the way he said it didn't convince Bertie he was being entirely truthful

"Is Edith here then? I'd like to know what I'm getting into."

Before Michael could answer Celia came up to clamp on to Bertie's arm

"Can you point us toward the drinks Michael?" 

* * *

Edith leaned against the windowsill sipping on her cocktail and enjoying the diverse crowd Michael and Lizzie's parties always seemed to attract

"So, you've brought quite a dish tonight." Lizzie told Edith with a wink

"Evelyn? Yes, he's quite dashing when he wants but there's nothing like that happening. I've known him so long he feels like part of the furniture."

"I know plenty of couples that started as friends and are perfectly happy."

"And I know plenty of men and women who are just friends and are perfectly happy. Evelyn will always carry a torch for Mary anyway, I just heard he had an open evening and thought he'd enjoy meeting some new people." Edith explained as she caught sight of Evelyn making conversation with a group of young women

"Well I think you make a striking couple, and it's nice to see a handsome man fetching you drinks."

"I certainly don't mind it either, oh here comes Michael. You might have an incoming crisis on your hands." Edith recognized Michael weaving through the crowd focused on Lizzie and Edith with a worried look on his face

"What's wrong?" Lizzie immediately said as soon as Michael got close enough

"Edith…um Bertie just showed up. He's getting drinks in the other room." Michael blurted out to Edith's surprised face

"Well, did you throw him out?" Lizzie demanded to Michael's shocked face

"No, no it's fine. Don't go making a scene on my behalf. We ended as friends, mostly."

Edith quickly eliminated any controversy and tried to put on a brave face

"Michael why in the hell did you invite him?"

"I didn't! He came with Denny's cousin, that young flapper who's always running about." Michael defended himself to his wife

Seeing Edith becoming a bit uncomfortable and Evelyn approaching Lizzie didn't mind excusing herself by taking Michael by the arm and harshly whispering

"I need to speak to you in the kitchen."

"I hope that's not because of me." Evelyn said siding up to Edith and seeing Michael looking like he was being lead to the slaughter

"Not at all, Lizzie is very charmed by you, as are all those ladies over there it seems." Edith said referring to the group on the side giggling and sneaking looks at Evelyn

"I don't know about that, it seems one of them used to visit my home with her mother growing up, so we were just catching up."

"A childhood crush then?" Edith teased

"I doubt it, she remembers me as a brooding teenager."

"You'd be surprised at the appeal of that, and I have heard in certain circles that finally being able to secure the Viscount Branksome would be quite the feat."

"Not for everyone it would seem." Evelyn told her referencing the most recent rejection he received from Mary

"It might take a while for you to find someone who appreciates you as you should, but when you do it will be worth it, and very well deserved."

Evelyn gave her a thankful smile and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek while reaching for he glass

"You're a very good friend and I'm lucky to know you, let me get you another drink."

With that Evelyn went toward the bar and Edith let her eyes wander across the room before settling on Bertie giving her a weak smile from across the room. 


	17. Chapter 17

Bertie entered a large and bright room behind Celia and soon found himself politely nodding and trying to look interested in whatever Celia and her friends seemed to be talking about.

He never did get an answer from Michael, and he couldn't decide on whether he wanted to see Edith or not. On the other hand it was pointless to be concerned about it, she probably wasn't here, he knew that she preferred to spend her time at Downton.

He soon caught Michael's eye as it looked like he was being dragged somewhere by his wife, Michael jerked his head behind him and gave Bertie a prolonged stare.

Bertie looked toward the large windows and saw Edith standing there, looking like she was having an intimate conversation with a young man in a dinner jacket. They both looked relaxed and happy, smiling at each other and speaking freely.

It shouldn't have surprised him but it did hurt him that she seemed to move on, but he shouldn't be one to judge he came here with Celia after all, it would be unfair to expect someone like Edith to not have a suitor.

He saw the young man give Edith a bring smile and lean in to give her a kiss on the cheek, Bertie felt a profound disappointment then, in the fact that there were so many opportunities he had to do that very thing that he didn't take advantage of.

Before he knew it the young man walked away and he realized Edith was looking at him and he managed to eek out a friendly smile

"What do you think Bertie?" Celia tried to catch his attention and bring him into the conversation

"What's that?"

"Italy or France? Which one would you prefer for a holiday?"

"Um, the last time I was in France I didn't enjoy it very much so I'd say Italy, if you'll excuse me I just spotted an old friend." Bertie quickly said and stepped away before anyone could respond, he felt his feet taking him towards Edith it felt like he didn't make a conscious decision to go to her but he was drawn to her, he didn't even know what he was going to say

Edith was watching Bertie walk towards her and it suddenly felt like Michael and Lizzie's sitting room was much bigger than it actually was

Bertie soon arrived, standing in front of her and managed to say "I didn't expect to see you tonight."

"And I didn't expect to see you either but I guess London is never as big as you would think." Edith replied hoping she wouldn't make a fool of herself

"I guess not, I hope you don't mind me coming over to say 'hello' it's just that I thought..."

"Of course not, I'm very glad you did. How are you?" Edith asked him, in a surreal situation considering she had been wondering how he was doing nearly everyday for the past few months

Bertie gave her one of his light smiles that she had spent a great deal of time thinking about and answered

"Busy with planning the upcoming harvest as you can probably guess, taking care of the improvements I told you about, other than that much of the same really…" Bertie hoped that he was being convincing enough for Edith to think that he actually was doing well "…and you? I've been reading your columns, they've been very good."

"Have you? That's very kind, thank you."

"Of course I have, I've always been a fan of yours I didn't stop just because-" Bertie stopped himself from finishing that sentence and was quickly saved by the young man he saw earlier returning with Edith's drink

"You've replaced me quite quickly Edith." He joked as he took his spot next to her and Bertie tried to hide the disappointed expression on his face

Edith seemed a bit flustered but tried to recover "Not exactly, Evelyn this is Bertie Pelham and Bertie this is Evelyn Napier, Evelyn is an old friend of our family."

"Oh, this is Evelyn? Yes I remember you mentioning him." Bertie said as he shook Evelyn's hand

"And you're the Marquess of Hexam. Very sorry to hear about your cousin we only spent a year at Eton together but I remember him being well liked." Evelyn earnestly replied remembering that Mary did mention Edith being involved with the new Lord Hexam

"Yes, thank you I appreciate that."

"I'll let you two catch up while I try and find Michael, I'm afraid he's getting low on the gin." Evelyn managed to deftly leave the two alone as it became obvious he was a bit of a third wheel

"He seems like a very nice chap, I'm happy for you Edith." Bertie kindly said hoping again that Edith believed him

"What? Oh no, Evelyn is a dear friend but we never would be more than that."

"I'm so sorry, how stupid of me." Bertie said clearly embarrassed

"It's fine, either way it was very big of you. You've always been extremely kind." Edith told him with a blush of her own rising up to her cheeks

"Edith, forgive me for being so forward but would you mind taking some time to speak to me? I have some things that I'd like to say to you and this doesn't seem like the most appropriate place." Bertie was close to pleading and hoped that Edith would agree to it

"I like the idea of that very much, I'm free tomorrow afternoon." Edith said maybe a bit more eagerly than she intended

"Good, I'm very glad. We could meet at Russell Square, maybe where we used-"

"I remember Bertie, and I'd be happy to, let's say around two?"

"That will work nicely, I'm looking forward to it. I'm afraid that I only stopped in for a moment before my dinner reservation and it seems I'm running late already, but it was wonderful to see you, give my regards to Michael." Bertie finished by taking Edith's hand, he felt bad about fibbing to Edith but he couldn't imagine just milling about the party pretending like she wasn't there

"I will, have a nice evening and I'll see you tomorrow." Edith told him as she gladly let her hand rest in his

"You too, take care." Bertie told her and turned around to leave and grabbing Celia's attention as he did

"I'm so sorry but my butler just called and apparently there is a terrible emergency at the house and I have to get back immediately." Bertie didn't like the fact that he lied to two different people back to back and looked forward to clearing up the situation soon

"How did he know you were here?" Celia questioned as she walked with him to the door

"Um,..well he called your butler and he told him to call here, you know how servants all know each other, but I'm so sorry I have to run off."

She seemed satisfied by that answer but disappointed she'd be loosing her escort for the night

"How sad, well you'll have to make it up to me." Celia pouted expecting that she'd be able to convince Bertie to stay

"Of course I will, but I'm sure you'll have a grand time without me, goodnight!"

Bertie told her as he stepped out the door away 

* * *

A/N: I hope you all like this! I originally planned for Bertie to see what his mother was doing right away and go off after Edith but I thought about this version at the last minute and liked it a bit better, maybe a bit far fetched but not so predictable hopefully.


	18. Chapter 18

Edith walked toward the park wondering how exactly things seemed to change so rapidly, just a few days ago Lizzie managed to convince her to come to her and Michael's party extending her trip by a day and this morning she had to make the call to Downton to tell them she'd be staying in London another day, she left out the reason being that she could meet Bertie.

She always thought it was a possibility to run in to him somewhere, she didn't really expect Michael's sitting room but there he was, and with a young lady it seemed. She had no idea how she would react if she saw him, she thought she handled it quite well thankfully and was relieved that Bertie suggested they meet to talk in private.

She, like him had a great deal of unfinished business regarding their relationship, she obviously got the message when he rejected her call but she still wanted to let him know that she had no ill feelings toward him. And he obviously wanted to tell her a few things, she wished he had been that eager for conversation five months ago but oh well.

Of course she was hurt when that happened, and it confused her, Bertie had always been so patient and understanding and suddenly he didn't even want to speak to her, but a part of her tried to understand it by rationalizing that she had pushed him too far, asked too much of him, and he finally had enough. She was doing well though, after a few days of crying she began to move on, focusing more on her writing, taking a page out of Mary's book and becoming more involved in the running of Locksley and even taking Marigold to see a fair in York, and they began the discussions of getting a kitty, pending Donk's approval of course.

She rounded the corner and wasn't surprised to see Bertie waiting for her at the fountain they always used to meet at. He was always so punctual.

"Hello there, sorry if I'm late." Edith greeted walking up to him

"Not at all, I was a bit early… Did you have a nice time at the party?" Bertie asked trying to avoid any awkward silences

"I did, Michael and Lizzie usually attract an interesting crowd although I didn't stay too late."

"I hope that didn't disappoint Mr. Napier" Bertie conversationally stated

"It's actually Viscount Branksome if we're being picky but don't worry Evelyn isn't like that, and he actually stayed a bit longer and told me he was planning on going to a club later." Edith told him

"He didn't escort you home?"

"No, he didn't and I assured him I'd be fine. And I did notice that you ended up leaving the young lady you came with unattended." Edith reminded him as she began to walk along the path with Bertie right beside her

"Ah, pot kettle black then. You're right, not my proudest moment." Bertie admitted

"I am happy for you though, I didn't speak with her but she seems like a charming young woman."

Bertie became a bit embarrassed then

"She is, but…I don't know if her charms are that effective on me if I'm quite honest, but she is a good person, overall."

"But not good enough to run off to dinner with?..." Edith quickly said, then immediately regretted "…I'm sorry that was tetchy of me."

"That was a lie, I wasn't going off to dinner with anyone. The fact is I couldn't be in the same room as you making polite conversation with someone else, especially when Viscount Branksome was there to cater to your every need. I'm sorry for lying but I just couldn't stay there."

To say Edith was surprised was an understatement, Bertie certainly seemed to have moved on from what she saw last night

"Bertie, I've told you Evelyn is just my friend and if you feel so strongly about another man being near me I wonder why you refused to take my telephone call five months ago?" Edith spat out what she had been holding in for so long

"What telephone call? Why didn't you answer any of my letters?!" Bertie shot right back stopping in the path to face Edith directly

"Letters?! I didn't get any letters and believe me I checked everyday for weeks, but I do remember one of your footmen telling me my calls wouldn't be accepted. Bertie you never even gave me a chance to fix what I did." Edith angrily told him

Bertie stared at her with a confused look on his face unable to comprehend that apparently everything he thought for the past few months was wrong

"Now hold on, Edith I never got a call from you, or anything and I was waiting for weeks to hear anything back."

"Do you think I'm lying? About this especially?" Edith haughtily asked

"No, I…When did this all happen?"

"The morning I sent the letter, I had a conversation with my father and realized that I was wrong and I went to call you straight away and was told to wait. Then he came back and told me that my calls would no longer be accepted." Edith explained becoming concerned at Bertie's lack of recollection

Bertie could only let out a noise of frustration and run his hands across his face

"I was out Edith, as soon as I read your letter I went out for a walk and didn't return for hours."

"Then why would your footman tell me that?"

"It wasn't him, it had to have been my mother because it certainly wasn't me. I don't think any of my staff would have told that to you without being ordered to. They all liked you very much."

A look of great hurt came across Edith's face and Bertie felt a rush of anger boil up thinking about the way his mother meddled in his affairs

"Are you sure Bertie?"

"I can't imagine another explanation, I was praying that I'd hear from you."

"You know she was the whole reason behind it?" Edith told him with a sad laugh and fighting a tear from spilling from her eye

"Behind what?"

"Me breaking with you, when I left Brancaster it was because she convinced me that I'd never be able to make you happy and you'd end up hating me. So I went back to Downton and I let her logic and my doubt convince me, but not even a full day after sending it I realized it was a mistake."

Bertie's heart sank listening to her realizing as much hurt as he felt she must have felt it twice as much, then another possibility dawned on him

"You never received a letter from me did you?"

"No, not one and I figured if my calls weren't accepted any letters would be returned unopened, so I wanted to spare myself the disappointment." Edith told him remembering the way she tried to block Bertie from her thoughts those first few weeks

"I can't believe I could have been so stupid…" Bertie angrily said to himself kicking at the rocks on the path startling a pair walking by "…I wrote you, many times but-"

"Your mother would collect the post for you?" Edith guessed as Bertie confirmed with a nod

"I don't think I've every been this angry with someone before." Bertie admitted

"I'm sure she thought she was doing what was best for you."

"Well she was wrong!..." Bertie snapped then continued "…Sorry, I know it's not your fault and you're probably just as angry as I am."

"I'm not pleased, and I'm more hurt than angry. Anger doesn't change the past after all." Edith sagely observed and Bertie was struck by her poise and common sense

"I'm very sorry this happened Edith. I hate knowing that you thought I was ignoring you so carelessly."

"I'm sorry too, I let someone else dictate what I thought about us when you were so patient and good to me, very cowardly on my part." Edith told him as she walked toward a small bench

"Don't say that, from what you said my mother convinced you that you wouldn't make me happy, so you did what you thought was in my best interest. That's not cowardly at all, I always thought you were very brave actually." Bertie admitted as he sat down next to her at a respectful but still intimate distance

"Thank you for that, you always found a way to find the best in anything, and still do apparently."

Bertie smiled at her in thanks and the two of them sat in silence for a moment trying to comprehend the truth behind what their lives had been the past few months

"I haven't stopped Edith." Bertie broke the silence and sat still with his hands hanging between his knees

"Stopped what?' Edith asked him knowing perfectly well what he meant but still needing him to say it

"Loving you. Wanting to be with you, I've tried to stop thinking about you but I couldn't. Nothing has changed for me." Bertie looked at her apprehensive but confident in knowing if she rejected him then at least everything was out in the open and nothing was left unsaid. If she didn't want him then he could move on as best he could knowing that he gave it one last shot

"When I tried to call you that morning do you know what I was going to say?..." Edith rhetorically asked him as Bertie gave her a soft smile "…I was going to say that I was sorry and I made a mistake. And that I love you and I was going to beg you to forgive me and take me back."

"Edith…" Bertie soothingly said as he helped wipe away a tear rolling down Edith's cheek

"So will you? I still did send that silly letter, your mother didn't fake all of it." Edith choked out

"Of course I will, I'd be a fool not to and for the record I think you can make me very happy." Bertie said moving closer to her and Edith took advantage by leaning in and giving him a long kiss

After they broke Bertie smiled at her again and said "Edith I know that you didn't want to rush into anything before, but I think by now we both know what we're in for."

"I agree" Edith said with a laugh at Bertie's practical assessment of their relationship

"Well then, will you marry me?" Bertie finally asked but before Edith could give an answer he interrupted her "Hold on, let me do it properly."

Bertie then got on one knee and took Edith's hand in his and asked again "Edith, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me."

"Yes, absolutely." Edith told him as she stoop up to wrap her arms around his neck 

* * *

A/N; Thanks for all your positive reviews! I do feel kinda bad for making Mrs. Pelham such a villain I think she showed a lot of promise at the end of the Christmas special, but someone had to do it! I think I might have 2 or 3 chapters yet, can't let Mrs. P off the hook :)


	19. Chapter 19

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It has to come out at some point, besides we have nothing to be ashamed of." Bertie confidently replied to Edith's question as they made their way to Hexam house and his waiting mother only a day after becoming engaged

"You could always just tell her and give her time to get used to it."

"And give her another chance to meddle? I'd rather just finish this business once and for all, you're going to be my wife and my mother needs to get used to it." Bertie intensely told her, Edith had never seen him so determined before and didn't want to admit she felt a bit nervous about the whole plan

"What did you tell her exactly?"

"That I was bringing a guest over and we had news for her, of course she started making assumptions about who it was, so it will be her own fault really."

"Remember what we talked about, I have no interest in a feud." Edith said worried that Bertie would always carry a chip on his shoulder

"I just hate knowing that she was responsible for us missing out on five months with each other, we could have been married by now."

"Well, we're together now and that's that. We'll be married soon enough and we can use this to make sure we never take each other for granted." Edith encouraged as she tightened her grip on his arm

"You're right, I'd never want to do that." Bertie agreed looking down at Edith with a smile

"Your mother will come around eventually. The quicker we can put this all behind us the better."

"She doesn't know how lucky she is to have you as a daughter-in-law." Bertie commented already proud of the way Edith was taking control of what would be her family

"Then we'll have to convince her, won't we?" Edith confidently stated as Hexam House came into sight and Bertie lead her up the large stairs

"Ready?" He asked before opening the door

"Yes." Edith answered before giving him a quick kiss

Bertie opened the door and was told by his butler that his mother was waiting for him in the library. He took Edith by the hand and lead her into the grand room

"Good afternoon, mother." Mrs. Pelham stood at the sound of her son's voice and caught sight of someone she hadn't expected to see ever again.

At first she stared at Edith a bit in shock and looking white as a ghost and only managed to say

"What is this?"

"I'm sure you remember Edith, Mother. We ran into each other the day and managed to sort things out between us. And I have some questions for you…" Bertie happily told her as he walked with Edith to sit on the couch across from her "…Please sit I hope to have a nice long conversation."

"So you went begging to her after all? Even after she brushed you off?" Mrs. Pelham defensively said to Bertie trying as long as she could to ignore Edith

"There is no use for that Mother, everything is out in the open now. You convincing Edith to break with me, the phone call, and I'm assuming the letters I wrote Edith found their way to a wastebasket?"

Mrs. Pelham refused to answer Bertie's allegation and only looked away acting like a petulant child

"Can't you say anything to defend yourself?" Bertie said with a certain edge to his voice

"Bertie…" Edith said trying to calm him then continuing, "…we'd just like to understand why you did all this. I think we can all learn to live with what happened but Bertie and I would both like at least an explanation." Edith said toward Mrs. Pelham hoping to take a more diplomatic route

"Since we all decided to air our dirty laundry then the fact of the matter is I don't think you could make my son a very good wife, and you some how bewitched him so I felt I had to step in for the good of everyone." Mrs. Pelham answered with a cold and accusatory tone that left Bertie frustrated

"What on earth would make you think that? First off I love Edith, secondly she's everything you could want for the Marchioness of Hexam, smart, refined, kind, responsible. And most importantly she loves me."

"It takes so much more than that, you can speak of love all you like but there is so much more that goes into a successful marriage." Mrs. Pelham snapped

"She's right Bertie. It takes patience and understanding and honesty, which I think we've done quite well at. And of course working together to overcome obstacles and remaining dedicated to each other which I think we proved to each other over the past few months."

"You're very confident, the last time we met the impression I got was that you weren't entirely sure you wanted to be married again." Mrs. Pelham challenged Edith as Bertie tensed up

"I might have been, but you conspiring to keep Bertie and I from each other made me realize how much I need to have him in my life and how much I want to be with him." Edith told her not afraid to defend her and Bertie's relationship

Mrs. Pelham had the defensive and peevish response that people usually adopt when the maneuvers they've tried to implement failed and tried to summon as much dignity as she could as she asked Bertie

"I suppose Lady Edith will organize a wedding quickly and I'll be soon on the street?"

"That might have been the case if Edith hadn't convinced me that I'd regret cutting you out and that it just wouldn't be the right thing to do. But yes we are planning to be married sooner rather than later." Bertie answered and took Edith's hand while giving her an encouraging smile

"Although I disagree with your opinion, I'm a mother as well so I do understand why you did it, you wanted to protect your son. I think we can put all this ugliness behind us and I earnestly hope you'll be a part of our lives." Edith sincerely told Mrs. Pelham looking her square in the face without flinching

Mrs. Pelham took a moment then, thinking about how despite the careful planning and intensity in which she tried to carry out her plan she still failed, and beginning to admit that the devotion the young couple had toward each other would be a benefit. And there was a possibility that Edith would make Bertie a good wife

"Bertie, I do realize that you're a grown man and you'll make your own choices and I may have... overstepped the mark a bit. But ultimately I wish you every happiness however you choose to pursue it."

"Thank you Mother, and I know you disagree right now, but I think in time you'll come to appreciate Edith and everything that she means to me." Bertie said that last bit while looking at Edith with a serene smile on his face

Mrs. Pelham couldn't help but notice that and it became very clear that she was no longer the most important woman in her son's life.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some letters to catch up on…I'm sure you both have much to discuss."

"I was wondering if you'd like to come to Downton sometime next month, Bertie and I aren't wanting a very grand affair but I know my mother would appreciate your input, and I would as well…" Edith trailed off as she looked to Bertie to add his opinion

"So would I. We would appreciate it very much." Bertie said with a hopeful smile

"Well I suppose I could manage to... Actually, I would like that very much." Mrs. Pelham said humbled by the couple's forgiveness and grace and a bit embarrassed by her actions in the past left the room with a grateful smile.

Edith and Bertie watched her leave then turned to each other

"I'm so proud of you Bertie, you're a good and decent man."

"And you'll never realize how proud I am of you."

* * *

AN; I got the impression a lot of you wanted Mrs. P sent to prison for everything she did but I liked Edith and Bertie taking the high road a bit more, I hope you all won't be too mad!


	20. Chapter 20

"…and I hope you all will join me in toasting Edith and Bertie!" Cousin Shrimpie finished the last of the speeches to the smiling and happy crowd as Bertie brought Edith closer to his side and drank his champagne like everyone else.

The crowd went back to socializing as Bertie and Edith stayed close to each other and took the opportunity to observe all their friends and family who gathered to celebrate them and their new marriage.

"So, did you have a good day today?" Bertie whispered to her with a teasing smile

"I think it will be one that will stand out in my mind for quite awhile, I hope the pageantry wasn't too much for you." Edith replied leaning into him with her arm around his waist

"You know it's not my favorite thing but standing next to you in your wedding gown was worth it all."

The couple smiled at each other and were interrupted by Cora coming up to give her congratulations again

"I can't get over how happy the two of you look, we are all so so pleased for the both of you."

"Thank you Lad- Cora, Edith has a habit of making me happy so I suppose it will be something I'll have to get used to." Bertie quickly placed a kiss into Edith's hair as she couldn't help a wide grin from spreading over her face

"I think you'll manage, and although you'll be taking Edith and little Marigold all the way up to Brancaster I'm so pleased you're a part of our family." Cora sincerely told Bertie with a warm touch to his arm

"Don't get sentimental Mama, it's only a short train ride away and I'm sure Papa will make you tag along when he comes up for all the shooting."

"And I suspect Marigold will want to come back to Downton to see her cousins often so Edith and I will be happy to visit as much as you'll have us." Bertie added to Cora's happiness and relief, Mrs. Pelham apprehensively joined the group and Cora excused herself sensing she would like to have a private word with the couple

"Everything came out beautifully I think, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves." Mrs. Pelham conversationally stated

"Yes I think so, thank you for all your help we couldn't have done it without you." Edith told her with a grateful smile

"You're very kind…especially considering my past actions." Mrs. Pelham truthfully stated with a sense of regret

"Mother we've been through all that and I don't think we need to revisit it, Edith and I are eager to start fresh in our marriage. We appreciate your apology but there is no need to keep raking it over." Bertie kindly told her wishing everyone could just move on

"I know dear, and I'm thankful for the both of you. And I didn't want to tell you both in the midst of wedding planning but I won't be at Brancaster when you come back from your honeymoon, I've decided to make a visit to my cousin in Southampton for a few weeks."

"Mrs. Pelham, the last thing I want is to kick you out as soon as we get back-"

"Edith dear, for God's sake you're my daughter-in-law now, at least call me 'Harriet'. And I know but I haven't seen her in years and you two deserve to have some privacy when you're just starting out. Plus with you there I won't have to worry about Bertie eating right." Mrs. Pelham told her gratefully with a smile towards Bertie

"If it makes you happy Mother then I'm all for it, and we'll be waiting for you to get back."

"Thank you dear, I've spoken to Cora and the nursery is nearly done so she'll travel to Brancaster with Robert and Marigold a few days before you both get back. I'll stay and make sure they're comfortable then I'll be off ."

"Thank you Harriet, I suspect we'll end up relying on you quite a bit." Edith told her grateful that their relationship was getting better and better.

"And I'll be more than happy to help…she's a lovely little girl. Marigold that is."

"Thank you, she's taken to you very well. She can be shy but she's told me she likes you very much and is excited to go live with you and Bertie." Edith earnestly told Mrs. Pelham as she looked flattered and very pleased

"Oh, well aren't I the lucky one? Having you and her in the house will be a pleasure. Excuse me I still have some guests to speak to." Mrs. Pelham quickly said and Bertie noticed a slight emotional waver in her voice

"Edith, you've been such a wonder considering everything, we don't deserve you."

"Well at the heart of it she is extremely loyal and protective, those are never bad qualities, but honestly I'm ready to forget what happened and just be happy with you." Edith admitted and rose up on her tip toes to give Bertie a quick kiss

"I agree, and I'm so excited to start our life together."

"Good me too, but I do have to warn you that we'll never hear the end of it from Michael." Edith told him as she spied Michael and Lizzie conversing with her parents across the room, Bertie gave her a confused look and she went on to explain

"We met because he thought I'd do a good job profiling you and on top of it we reconnected at his party. He's already told me he's expecting our first child to be named after him or to be a Godfather at least."

Bertie laughed and looked over to Michael to raise a glass in acknowledgement

"I think that's only fair, I suppose to spare you Michael's nagging we should get started as soon as possible?" Bertie asked her with a raised eyebrow

Edith let out a laugh and quickly looked around to make sure no one was too close nearby and placed her hands on his chest

"Such an attentive husband already. You know I would hate to get to Liverpool too late and miss our ship…"

"Yes, can't have that. And you never know if there will be car trouble or we'll get stuck behind someone slow." Bertie reasoned picking up on Edith's idea

"That's true, and there are plenty of people here, no one is really paying attention to us." Edith said already trying to figure out how long it would take her to change into her traveling clothes

"Edith, I think it's time for us to go. We can't miss the ship after all."

"I was just thinking that, I'm so glad I married a man so thoughtful and responsible." Edith smiled as she gave Bertie another kiss, then the both of them went off to organize their quick exit.

* * *

AN: The end! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, I've had a rough couple months so having a chance to feel like I'm doing something that makes other people a little bit happy, even if it's just a silly story about characters I didn't even create, has been something that has really helped.

Once again a big thanks to everyone who was kind enough to take the time to leave me a review they are a real joy to any author! I don't know if I'll have the time or ideas to write anything new since I think I'll be a bit busy coming up but if I can manage I look forward to seeing if you guys like it!

My new year is looking bright and I wish all the same to you!


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